The Figure in Black
by Dizzy Hwin
Summary: Rogue has fallen for The Figure in Black...
1. Surprise

"Chica!" Jubilee squealed, "You just have to buy that top!"  
  
"Are yah crazy or just plain stupid?" I asked, staring at myself in the mirror. I was in 'Casey's', a high priced store in the middle of the Mall. Me and Jubilee had come for our daily routine of shops and Latte on a Saturday morning. So here I was standing in front of a mirror, wearing a tiny dark green halter top that she had forced me into.  
  
"It barely covers mah chest Jubilee! No one would dare come more than 10 feet of me with this thing on!"  
  
Unwilling to listen to her protests, I closed the curtain. Throwing the top out to her waiting hands, I changed back into my usual outfit of my white t-shirt with long green sleeves, complete with a thick woolen scarf. Adjusting my ever-present black gloves, I walked out of the dressing area. I walked up to the counter where Jubilee was purchasing some items for herself.   
  
The sales lady beamed at Jubilee as she handed a large bag over.  
  
"Have a nice day and thank you for shopping at Casey's."   
  
We smiled back as we walked out of the store. I peeked inside the bag, curious at what Jubilee had bought. My mouth dropped open and I grabbed at her hands. Pulling the bag from her reach, I opened it up and pulled out the tiny green halter top.  
  
"Jubilee!" I gritted my teeth in an attempt not to scream at her. "Why did you buy this? Ah told yah, ah can't wear it!"   
  
Jubilee just smiled back at me as she grabbed the bag and stuffed the top back inside. "Well, than we'll keep it in the back of the closet until you can." She swung the bag over her shoulder and began to walk towards the coffee shop. "Plus, I already spent up to my limit and I can always borrow it." She said with a grin. I merely rolled my eyes, followed her to the coffee shop to our awaiting lattes.  
  
  
  
Almost an hour later, after shopping and collecting three more bags of clothing, I finally managed to grab the credit card from Jubilee.  
  
"Can we please go home now?" I pleaded, tucking the credit into my back pocket.  
  
Jubilee looked back at me, her bottom lip pouting like a spoilt child.  
  
We stared at each other until Jubilee gave in.   
  
"Fine." She sighed.  
  
Quickly fishing my cellphone out of my backpack before she could change her mind, I hit speed dial and the ringing tone began to sound. A sickly sweet voice came over the phone.   
  
"Xavier's School for the Gifted, Jean speaking."  
  
"Hey Jean. Can you get Scott ta come pick me and Jubes up from the mall?" Listening intently, I heard muffled voices as Jean conveyed the message.  
  
"He says that's fine." She said. "Meet him by the old Pizza Hutt on Bladden Street, K?"  
  
"Sweet. Thanks Jean." I said, hanging up.  
  
Bladden Street was an industrial area down the street from the Mall. Most of the buildings were old storage warehouses, packed full of old junk that people forgot about or want to hide. The Pizza Hutt stood beside a group of these warehouses, abandoned after a fire ripped through it, leaving a shell of what it once was. Walking over, Jubilee sat on the front steps as the leant against the stairwell. We were talking about Bobby's apparent crush on me, when a blood curdling scream filled the air.  
  
  
Startled, I looked around for the source. Jubilee leaped to her feet, taking a defensive stance. When the scream came again, she grabbed my hand. Abandoning my backpack, I pulled Jubilee towards an old warehouse across the street.  
  
"I think it's coming from in there." I whispered as we approached the door. I turned at the handle, but it was locked. I felt around in my hair, looking for a bobby pin to pick the lock with. Remembering the credit card, I pulled it out of my pocket and was about to use it when Jubilee's hand grasped my wrist and the card was removed from my fingers.  
  
"Give me back the card." I whispered, holding out my hand. She looked at me and then at the golden card. With a stubborn look across her face, she shook her head.  
  
"Give me the Goddam card Jubes!" I whispered angrily, grabbing for it.  
  
Jubilee looked at the card with sorrow before slowly placing it in my hand. I turned to unlock the door as she mumbled "Who died and made her Cyclops."  
  
Flicking the card through the side of the door, I pressed against the resistance and grinned in satisfaction as I heard the lock click. I swung open the door, just as the screaming inside ceased.  
  
"Where did you learn that from?" Jubilee asked as we advanced through the door.  
  
I shrugged. "Logan, I guess."  
  
Our footsteps echoed as we stepped into a large storeroom, filled with piles of brown cardboard and metallic boxes and large bulky object covered in plastic sheets. It stank of cigarettes and milder, the floor was covered with a thin layer of dust. Using hand signals, I motioned for Jubilee to check out two piles, I headed towards an overturned table. As I walked round it, I found the source of the screams.   
  
It was a little girl, roughly around the age of six or seven. Her knees were tucked into her chest, her arms wrapped around them. Her face was tucked into her knees, hidden by a mane of thick brown hair. The small frame of the girl shook as she sobbed into her dirty white t-shirt.  
  
Waving my arms I tried to catch Jubilee's attention as she searched all the way on the other side of the warehouse. Catching her attention, I pointing down at the girl and Jubilee began to casually walk over. Crouching down beside the girl, I gently put her hand on her shoulder to comfort her. The sobbing stopped and her head lifted to reveal two piercing blue eyes.  
  
"Who are you?" she asked, wiping her nose with her wrist.  
  
"We're here ta help yah." I said soothingly. Sanding up, I turned to look at Jubilee. "We need ta ring sc.........."  
  
"Watch out!" Jubilee screamed, pointing behind me as she busted into a sprint.  
  
Spinning around, the little girl had disappeared and Mystique had taken her place. She smiled at me, pulling a pair of black gloves onto her hands.  
  
"I didn't think it would be this easy." She said, delivering a quick punch to my stomach. Shaking off the pain and shock, I sent a sharp kick to Mystique's face, causing her to stumble. Mystique recovered, dropping to the ground, kicking my feet out from underneath me.   
  
I hit the ground head first and an instant headache spread through my head. I lay dazed as a black fist connected with my face, my lip splitting open and dribbling blood as Mystiques fist hit again and again. Held down by Mystique's strong left arm, I struggled unsuccessfully against her grip. I lifted my head and screamed for help.   
  
Jubilee stopped running three feet away from me. She lifted her hands and my eyesight was filled with a flash of bright colors and Mystique was thrown off me.  
  
"Thanks Jubes." I said standing up, ignoring the dizziness that racked my head.  
  
Jubilee kicked Mystique in the side as she attempted to get up. Confident, Jubilee threw another punch, but Mystique grabbed her at the wrist, twisting it up behind her back. Jubilee screamed in pain as a loud crack was heard. Mystique had broken her arm. Mystique released her hand and Jubilee fell forward. Mystique stood over Jubilee as she kicked up at her blue attacker.  
  
"Leave her alone!" I screamed.  
  
Turning her head to face me, Mystique grinned sadistically as she slowly stood on Jubilees outstretched right leg, snapping Jubilee's ankle. Jubilee rolled over, whimpering quietly into the dusty floor. Laughing at Jubilee, Mystique turned to me.  
  
"Yah gonna pay for hurting mah friend." I threatened quietly. Jubilee curled up into a fetal position on the ground, whimpered as she cradled her limp arm.  
  
Mystqiue smiled at me. Before I could stop her, she delivered a quick kick to the back of the head, knocked Jubilee unconscious. I felt my blood boil with rage. _This bitch is going down. _Recalling the training Scott had given me in the Danger room, I charged at Mystique, delivering a sharp elbow to her spine and knocking her the ground.  
  
Receiving a hard kick to the stomach, I stumbled slightly and collected a kick to my head for it. Blood trickled out of a cut on my forehead, turning my white streak a deep crimson. I pushed the white streaks back behind my ears, from where they had come loose. Standing facing Mystique, I watched as Mystique circled me, her piercing stare searching for a weak spot.  
  
Lowering my centre of gravity, I tackled her into a group of empty boxes. Sitting on top of her, I punched at her blue face, her bleeding nose tainting my black gloves. Her breathes become ragged as I continued to hit her over and over again. Attempting to push me off herself, Mystique turned over and I quickly took advantage and grabbed her short red hair.  
Pushing her face into the ground, I leant over to speak into her ear.  
  
"You fucking bitch. Don't you know, yah don't eva mess...... with...... mah....... friends!" I accompanied the last four words with her face meeting the floorboards.  
  
Mystique body went limp and I let go of her hair. Standing up, I kicked her lifeless body once to check that she was out. But the bitch wasn't done. She moved so fast I didn't have time to react. Her arm wrapped around my protected neck and I felt the air disappear from my lungs as she applied pressure.   
  
My feet scrapped the ground as Mystique pulled me back towards the overturned table. I saw the glint of sliver and Mystique voice echoed in my ear.  
  
"Don't worry. I won't hurt your friends......" She whispered. "I'll just hurt you."  
  
I screamed out in pain as I felt the painfully familiar feeling of a steel blade sink into my skin. Waves of pain and nausea spread through my body as I felt the blade twist inside me.  
Looking down, the white of my t-shirt turned red as the warm blood through it. Mystique withdrew her knife and pushed me over into a box. I slid down the side, leaving a trail of blood across it. Mystique placed her foot over my wound and her laugh echoed through the warehouse as she pressed down.  
  
Groaning in pain, my eyesight went blurry and my stomach grew nauseous. Picking me up, Mystique flung me over her shoulder and stepped over Jubilee's unconscious figure.  
  
Walking towards the door, she paused an accented voice broke through the silence.  
  
"Put the pretty Chere down, or dis cajan is gonna have to cause sum pain."  
  
Spinning around, Mystique dropped me to the ground. Winded by the hard floor, I lay gasping for breath as my eyesight blurred. A figure dressed totally in black jumped down from his position on top of a large pile of boxes to in front of me. Closing my eyes, I listened as Mystique began hand-to-hand combat with this mysterious savior.  
  
After what seemed forever, a loud thud resounded in the warehouse as a body hit hard against the ground. I lay still, praying that it was Mystique. Opening my eyes, I saw a blurred vision of the figure in black stood over Mystique, a knife held to her neck.   
  
He paused for a moment. "Leave." He said, pulling the knife away from her neck. Mystique scampered towards the door.   
  
"You made yourself a very powerful enemy." she yelled, stumbling out of the warehouse door.  
  
The man dropped the knife and walked over towards the unconscious Jubilee. As my vision cleared, I focused on the dark stranger. His face was hidden by a pair of black Ray Bans and the collar of his full black trench coat. A ripped red silk shirt flapped out from underneath his coat, suiting his black pants. I watched as he knelt down on one knee and leant over the unconscious Jubilee, carefully assessing her injuries. He looked around the warehouse, then scooped Jubilee up into his arms and headed for the door. _No_ I thought to myself,_ he can't take her. _Desperately searching for energy, I raised my arm and grabbed his ankle as he walked past. He paused looking down at me.  
  
"Leave her alone." I begged my voice feeble and quiet.  
  
Staring at me through his black sunglasses, he waited until I loosen my grip and he continued, carrying Jubilee outside.  
  
Taking in a deep breath, I bit my lip in pain as I lifted myself off the dusty ground. Pushing away the pain, I wiped my forehead and stood up, ready for the Figure in Black. _No body takes my friends and gets away with it_. As he came through the door, I kicked at his face, which he successfully blocked with him forearm. Throwing a punch, I hit him in the stomach, my weak blow having no affect on him. He made no attempt to strike back as he blocked my weak punches, one after another.  
  
Pausing in my tiredness, my headache grew worse and I felt weak in the knees. Losing the strength to stand, my knees gave in and just as they did, he reached out his arms and caught me. Taking me up in his strong arms, he whispered into my ear.  
  
"Hush Chere, nothing will happen to you. I promise."  
  
Taking me outside, he placed me on the steps outside the closed pizza hutt, right next to the unconscious Jubilee. His fingers gingerly touched my blood soaked t-shirt. He leaned over me and removed his black Ray Bans. I flinched in surprise as his black eyes with red pupils gazed into mine. Rolling up my T-shirt, his face turned grim as he looked down at my stab wound. Reached down to touch it, I grabbed his wrist.  
  
"Can't touch me," I warned. "My skin's deadly."  
  
Considering my warning, he looked back down at my stomach. Looking around, he found my backpack. Pulling out one of my thick woolen scarves, he wrapped it around my stomach, tying it tightly at my side. Wincing in pain, tears sprung to my eyes.   
  
He noticed my tears and using my scarf, he gently wiped them away. Slipped back on his sunglasses, he gently applied pressure to the wound. Looking down, the scarf was already soaked in blood and his hands were dyed crimson. My eye wandered over to my bag and I noticed my grey cellphone poking out. Grabbing at it, I pressed speed dial to the jeep's car phone and lifted it to my ear.  
  
"Hello?"   
  
"Scott, I need you to hurry." I gasped. "Jubes and I were attacked."  
  
"I'll be right there." Scott's voice sounded scared as he hung up.  
  
Turing off the phone, I dropped it to the ground. The man stood up, looking around.  
  
"I haf to go now Chere. Take care."   
  
And before I could object, he ran off down a side alley.  
  
Rolling over in pain, I vomited up blood. The pain in my side was getting worse and I wasn't sure how much longer I could take it. I heard the roar of the Jeep pulled up behind me and the slam of the door as Scott got out.  
  
"Jubilee? Marie? Oh god....."   
  
I tried to move my head to see him, but found I couldn't move. Scott appeared above me, snapping a pair of surgical onto my hands. He gently maneuvered my head so I was looking straight up. I stared at the sky as I felt him pulled back the scarf covering my stomach. My vision went blurry and I fought against the promised comfort of unconsciousness. _I must stay awake, if not only to protect Jubilee........_  
  
Blinking slowly, my body began to felt numb as Scott gently slapped my face.  
  
"Stay with me Rogue. Please, just stay with me......"  
  
Unable to fight anymore, I closed me eyes and the darkness consumed me.


	2. Waking Up

The light burned as I opened my eyes. The smell of disinfectant stung at my nose, reminding me of Logan's nightmares. I blinked a few times, trying to clear the blur from the corners of my vision. I lay there blinking at the ceiling for what seemed like hours, on the brink of sleep, trying not to fall back. A gentle beep kept a quiet beat from a machine behind me. My own breathe echoed in a plastic mask that hovered just under my line of sight. Slowly, I tried to move my arms, finding every movement like my arms weighted a ton. An offending IV and the tape that held it in place was my first clumsy manoeuvre. Tossing it to the floor, I finally managed my hands up to my face, I felt the sting of a fresh cut as I removed the unwanted mask. Flinched away from my own hand, I noticed the bed beside mine. The figure stirred and a bright yellow arm cast came into view. Jubilee.

When the movement of her curled up frame indicated sleep, I almost let go of an audible sigh of relief. I grabbed at the thin bedsheets across my legs and pulled them to the side. Dressed in only in a singlet top and g-string, I flushed with embarrassment and quickly pulled the sheet back loosely around my hips. I placed my hands against the mattress beneath me and levered my elbows to pull my body up. Sharp waves of pain shot through my stomach, making me bite my lip to stop the screech that wanted to escape. My now bleeding lip and attempted silence was all in vain as the quiet beeping behind me becoming urgent and loud. I clenched the metal bars that lined my bed, trying desperately to blink back the tears that had spring into my eyes. Jubilee stirred at the noise, her eyes flicking open. It must have taken a moment to register, but she sat bolt upright so fast she got her cast tangled in her sheet and fell out of her bed. Standing up, her face lit up as she saw me; part relieved, part pained.

"Rogue?" She said, tears appearing in her eyes. God, the way she looked at me, I must have looked pretty dam bad.

"Yeah" I said, my voice raspy and barely louder than a whisper.

Limping over to my bed, Jubilee switched off the noisy machine. Her hand slid behind my back and on my nod, she pulled into a more upright position while sliding a pillow behind me. This time, I didn't hold back, letting loose a choked scream of pain. Her hand rubbed my arm as I sucked at the air, trying to breathe away the pain and gained my composure. Sitting down on the foot of my bed, she wiped her eyes dry of the tears that threaten to run down her cheeks.

"Are you alright?" I asked through partially gritted teeth.

Jubilee smiled, gently touching the left side of her face. "Got a broken ankle, broken wrist and cracked jaw." Her face looked flawless if not a little swollen, but her pain was given away by the way she clenched her jaw and her tense expression. Jubilee smiled at my stare.

"Good make- up. Can hide anything." She grimaced. "Unfortunately, you need a little more than some make-up."

"What's my list?" I asked.

Taking a deep breath, Jubilee picked at imaginary lint on the sheets. "Two broken ribs, Concussion, Stab wound to the upper abdomen, lacerating both your stomach, lung and liver. Severe bruising and swelling to the face..."

"fuck..."

I paused as the lab doors behind Jubilee opened and Jean came rushing in, closely followed by Scott. Both of them looked frightened and pale in their Pajamas. Scott visibly brighted when he spotted me, sitting up in my singlet top. 'Yeah Boy scout', the Logan part of my brain drawled 'get your thrills.'

"So, the superhero decided join us back in the land of the living." He said, moving to sit on Jubilee's bed. Jean checked the heart rate machine and looked down at me, her eyes scanning my physic up and down.

"What happened to your breathing mask?" She asked, bending to retrieve it from the floor.

"Sorry" I said, shrugging my shoulders apologetically at Jean. I turned back to look at Scott who may I say, looked great in his red satin boxers. Jean raised an eyebrow and cocked her head at me. Shit! Damm telepaths and their hearing abilities.

"Can I have my gloves back please?" I asked. Jean walked over to the lab bench and opened a drawer. Pulling out my two black gloves. I grabbed at them and pulled the stiff gloves onto my hand, ignoring the dried blood on them.

Jean carefully picked up my right hand and pushed another IV needle into my skin through a small hole in my glove. Connecting it to a drip with medication, she took a quick look at her watch. "Come on Scott, we have to teach in the morning." Scott looked at her, his face revealing there was an internal debate going on. After a few moments of silent staring, he nodded his head in defeat and headed to the door. Jean turned her attention to me and smiled politely. "You and Jubilee need your sleep, so don't be up for too long."

And with that, she stalked out of the room. Jumping off Jubilee's bed, Scott gave us a quick wave and disappeared after her. I looked at Jubilee, a silly grin plastered across her face.

"My GOD, he is sooo whipped!" she giggled.

"Well Duh!" I replied with as much emphasis as I could muster, leaning into the soft pillows as Jubilee talked on.

"How could anybody be that much of a pushover? If I ..."

Pulling the covers back over my body, I slowly closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep, the sound of Jubilees voice growing dimmer in my ear.

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	3. Boredom Strikes

Disclaimer: Santa didn't bring the X-men for christmas, so they still dont belong to me *sigh*  
  
  
  
Staring at the clock on the metallic wall of the lab, I watched as the smallest hand counted away the seconds. God was I bored. Jean had left an hour ago at 10.30pm and told me to try and get some sleep. Jubilee had moved back in our dorm room this morning. I tried to move back with her, but Jean refused to let me go until my stiches came out. Which meant another four or five days of sitting in bed, watching a small T.V and breathing stale air. I needed to get out.  
  
Wincing at the pain in my ribs and stomach, I swung my legs over the side of the bed, pulled out the IV and stood up on the cold floor. Wrapping a sheet around myself to combat the cold air, I walked over to the lab door. As the giant X slid to the side, I peered out at the unfamiliar metallic halls. My footsteps echoed down the empty halls as I jogged down them, searched for a way out. Coming to a large mahogany door, it opened before me to reveal an elevator. Jumping inside, I pressed the upwards button.  
  
Opening into the main hallway by the professors office, I blocked my mind and walked past it. Walking up the stairs, I swiftly moved to my dormroom. Carefully opened the heavy wood door, the sound of Jubilee faint snores drifted into the deserted hallways. Stepping inside, I pulled the rest of the sheet inside and closed the door behind me. Tip-toeing over to my closet, I opened it, the rusty hinges protesting. I froze as Jubilee turned over, muttering.  
  
"I love you twinkies but I love shebert as well..." she mumbled.  
  
I exhalted in relief. Picking out a thick pair of gloves, I took off the blood stained pair and placed them in the bin. Pulling on the new pair, I reached back inside the closet and pulled out a warm pair of pants and a thick hooded sweatshirt. Slipping the sweatshirt and pants over my singlet and boxer shorts, I discarded the white sheet. Giving the sleeping Jubilee a goodbye wave, I slipped back outside into the hallway.  
  
  
  
Staring up at the full autumn moon, I sucked in the fresh air into my lungs, the scent of pine filling my nose. Looking around, everything was bathed in a dim light, casting shadows across the vast courtyard. Spreading my arms, I stood still, feeling the gentle breeze play across my face and with my hair. Dropping my hands to my sides, I strolled over to Ororo's garden, dry dead leaves crunching underneath my bare feet. Running my hands through the leaves on the bushes, I stopped and knelt down on the grass to smell the wildflowers.  
  
Sniffing at a group of red flowers, out of the corner of my eye a shadow moved. I quickly focused my eyes on the moving shadow. My heart jumped into my throat and its pulse began to beat faster and faster. Gathering together my thoughts, I slowly pretended to scratch my bare foot, carefully pulling the glove off my left hand. Feeling the presence come closer, I spun around, my naked hand outstretched at the figure.  
  
The figure jumping back at the sight of my bare hand stretched towards him, his face now illuminated by the moonlight. I took in a deep breathe as I recognized the face.  
  
"Scott! What the fuck are yah doing out here?" I screamed at him, slipping back on my glove. Shooting him a evil look, Scott gave me a sheepish grin.  
  
"I went down to the lab to check on you. When I saw you leaving on the security cameras, I followed." he said. "I just wanted to make sure that you were alright."  
  
Defensively folding my arms across my chest, I stared at him. Anger clouded my mind. Closing my eyes, I forced myself to calmly breath in and out. Relax, I told myself. He's only here to look after you. As my pulse returned to normal and my anger dissipated, I opened back my eyes.  
  
"Well now that you've seen that Ah'm fine, yah can leave me alone" I said, sacasm dripping from every word.  
  
Scott looked back towards the mansion. "Can I ask you about this figure in black?" he said, his voice questioning and soft.  
  
I looked at him puzzled. How the hell did One-eye know about him? If Jeans been in my head, I'll....  
  
"No-ones been snooping around in your head Rogue," he said quickly, disrupting my train of thought. "The Professor said that you're projecting a figure dressed in black during your sleep."  
  
I hesitated. "Go away Bug eye. ah don't want questions and ah sure as hell don't need a second shadow."  
  
Scotts jaw clenched in anger at the nickname. Not caring, I turned my back on him and strolled down the tiled path of Ororo's garden. Watching him through the corner of my eye, I saw him go to follow me, hesitate and turn away. Reaching the end of the path, I found a large stone seat, beautiful carvings of flower etched into its rough surface.  
  
Sitting down on the stone seat, I looked up at the night sky. The moon hung in the sky, millions of stars scattered around it. As pain in my stomach grew stronger, I lay down on the cold concrete slab. Blinking slowly, I continued to stare up into the sky.  
  
  
  
I must have drifted off to sleep cause when I opened my eyes, the moon had moved across the sky to sit near the top of the nearby hills as the suns first rays appeared on the opposite horizon. Sitting up, my ribs ached with a dull pain.  
  
Standing up, I wrapped my arms tighter around myself to combat the cold wind and I began walking back up the path towards the mansion. Hearing the sound of crackling leaves, I paused. The faint sound of the leaves being crushed underneath a foot nearby. The hair on the back of my neck raised and I felt cold all over. Accelerating my pace, I stumbled up the steps of the front doors of the mansion.  
  
Stepping inside, I closed the door and locked it. Stepping over to the window next to the door, I scanned the forest treeline. A lone figure stood among the trees, his red on black eyes staring right into mine, his thin lips curved into a smile. It was the man who had saved me from Mytisque. The figure in black. The black trench coat flowed from his shoulders, his red ripped shirt fluttering in the wind.  
  
Tearing my eyes away from his, I grabbed the door handle and walked back outside. But when I looked back to the spot on the treeline where he stood moments before, he had disappeared. Sighing in disappointment of not being able to meet him, I turned around and walked back inside.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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Sorry it took so long! Please review!!! 


	4. Meeting

Disclaimer: X-men aren't mine etc..............  
  
A/N: Thanks to my friend Cheri for helping kick my procrastinating ass into gear  
  
  
  
  
  
I jolted awake, the visions of the doctors still vivid in my mind. My heart was thudding inside my chest as I untangled my legs from my lightweight quilt. It was another one of Logan dreams. I looked over at Jubilee's bed to check she was sleeping if she had been woken. Her gentle snores told me she was definitely asleep. I looked over at the window as a beam of moonlight shone through a small gap in the curtains. I walked over to the big window and opened it to reveal a steel fire escape. The brand new fire escape had been recently added to our window after a St. John had small accident refilling his lighter. The accident had alerted the professor that pupils could have been injured or worse if it had not been for Bobby's quick action. The result: a new fire escape was attached to our window. Pulling a pair of pants over my boxers and grabbing Jubilee's bean bag, I stuffed in through the window and climbed out onto the fire escape.  
  
A strong cold breeze play with my hair as I placed the beanbag down on the cold steel. I was up three storys. I was up high enough to be hiden from most people on the courtyard below, but I still had a great view of the fields and the basketball court. I love it up here. It is one of the only places I can go to think or be alone without fear of being interrupted by people. Well, just one person, but Jubilee's learnt when to leave me to my thoughts.  
  
I looked up at the full moon as it sat in the dark sky. Jean had finally allowed me to move back to my room the previous day after I got so bored I insisted on attending class. God, who would have thought I would actually ask to go to class. Casting a glance over the mansions shadowy ground, movement on the basketball court caught my eye. Focusing on it, the figure waved at me. Surprised, I slowly raised my hand and waved back. Jumping off the beanbag, I leaned over the railing and called out softly to him.  
  
"Com'on up!"  
  
Smiling, he began walking over towards the building. Looking down at my singlet and pants, I swore to myself. Leaning inside the window, I grabbed a sweatshirt off the ground and slipped it on. Grabbing a pair of gloves from the windowsill, I quickly pulled them on and released the catch to lower the ladder. I held my breath as he climbed up the fire escapes ladder. As he reached the top rung, I suddenly felt nervous. He was a lot taller than I had remembered and his lean 6ft body towered over my small 5ft 5 body.  
  
"Marie." I said, holding out a gloved hand to shake his.  
  
He took my hand in his, bent over and kissed the back of my hand gently. "Remy Lebeau." he said quietly, his accented voice as smooth as silk.  
  
I felt my cheeks blush. And people say chivalry is dead.  
  
"Well Remy, Welcome to Mutant high." I said jokingly.  
  
Taking a quick look around, Remy relaxed slightly. Sitting down on the beanbag, I looked up at the mysterious figure that had saved my life only a week before.  
  
"So...Remy why ya here?" Remy smiled at me and ran his hand throught his brown hair.  
  
"To visit you o' course."  
  
"Right" I laughed, a hint of sarcasm in my voice.  
  
We stood looking at each other, an uncomfortable silence between us. What could I say to him? He had saved my life. What could you say about that? Oh yeah, about the whole you saving my live thing, thanks. No way.  
  
"So where yah from Remy?" I finally asked.  
  
"New Orleans. You?"  
  
"Ah'm outta Mississippi."  
  
Remy's body shivered as a cold breeze went through his thin trench coat and ripped shirt.  
  
"Wait here for a sec." I whispered, climbing back through the window.  
  
Remy watched carefully as I walked over to my closet and opened the squeaky doors. Kneeling down, I pushed aside my collection of coats and other items of clothing and gently wrapped my hands around the cardboard box. Gently pulling out the large shoe box and placed it gingerly down on my knees. Opening it, a sense of abandonment and loneliness washed over me. In the tattered shoe box, I had kept everything that had reminded me of Logan. Pushing aside the admantium dog tags and a crumbled security photo of him, I pulled out a crumpled red cotton shirt. I had purchased it two months after Logan had left, thinking that it would be a great welcome back present. The shirt had lived in the shoe box for almost a year now.  
  
Folding it neatly, I stood up and climbed back out through the window. Hesitating slightly, I held the shirt out to Remy.  
  
"Here, take this. Its a lil' dusty but it'll be warmer than that ripped silk."  
  
"T'anks" he said.  
  
Smiling, he shed the trench coat and pulled off the ripped shirt. It took all the mind power that I could muster to keep my jaw from falling open. Remy was built like a god. His abdomen was sculpted, 6 pack and all. As he gently took the shirt from my hands, my eyes moved to look at his muscly arms and shoulders.  
  
'Logan has com-pe-tion!' Davids sing-song voice said inside my head.  
  
Remy grinned at my wandering eyes as he buttoned up the red shirt and slipped his tranch coat back on. Blushing slightly, I sat down on the large beanbag. He sat down next to the bean bag, his eyes on mine. An uncomfotable silence filled the air between us.  
  
Remy brought out a pack of cards from his coat and began to fidget with them, his thin fingers pulling out cards at random. Selecting an Ace of Spades, Remy gently held the card between his index and middle finger. Noticing my interest, Remy flicked the card into the breeze and it exploded in a puff of smoke.  
  
"So thats your ability?"  
  
Remy nodded, continuing to shuffle his cards. He seemed like the strong and silent type. Just like Logan.  
  
Remy then did something surprising. He brought his hand around and placed it gently against my cheek. I would have normally flinched or pulled away but my brain seemed to have turned off. Through the thin cotton that separated my skin from his, I felt the comforting warmth of his hand against my cheek. He drew closer to me until his face was inches from mine. I smiled nervously as his eyes stared into mine.  
  
"Rogue?" a voice cut through the silence.  
  
Remy's warm hand dropped away from my cheek as I recognized Jean's sickly sweet voice. I looked up towards the door. Jean stood leaning against the doorway, her red hair tied up in a messy ponytail. She looked tired.  
  
"Who are you talking to?" she asked.  
  
Glancing back toward Remy, I was shocked to see he wasn't there. Turning back to Jean, I stuttered slightly. "Uh..umm..." I said, as I tried to find something to say. Finally a light bulb turned on in my head and I blushed as I pointing at my head.  
  
"Logan. Ah was talking ta Logan."  
  
"Oh," Jean nodded her head as she looked at me with sympathy in her eyes. "Well, try to get some sleep soon 'cause you do have to go to class tomorrow."  
  
"Thanks Jean." I said quietly. Watching her close the door as she left, I looked around the fire escape. My heart jolted when I spotted Remy clinging to a drain pipe beside the window. Jumping back onto the fire escape, he looked at me mischievously.  
  
"Soo... Who's dat chere?"  
  
"That's Jean" I sighed.  
  
"Why do you sigh?" He asked.  
  
"Its just...." Sighing again, I unconsciously ran my hand through my hair. "Ah hate how they look at me, that same look of sympathy in their eyes." I paused, looking down at my finger as it traced a scratch in the steel. "She still treats me like ah'm fragile. They all do."  
  
Remy looked at me in surprise. "Remy don't understand why you no like dat. It just means dat dey care deeply for you. An' Remy know dey do"  
  
"Yeah, and how do yah know that?"  
  
"Remy just does." He replied softly.  
  
Burrowing down into the warm beanbag, I positioned my head to look at him. Remy seemed to be in deep thought as he stared seeing in the darkness. The silence was once again disrupted as a sharp beeping sounds filled the air. Pulling up his sleeve, Remy pressed a small button on his watch.  
  
"I've stayed to long. Dis Cajan has ta leave now"  
  
Standing up, Remy leant over me as I stood up. "I will come back a'other time" he whispered into my ear as he embraced me and then he kissing my cheek lightly. I stepped back out of his arms, stunned at his brief touch. Remy's eyes closed and a shiver ran through his body. Slowly, the shivering stopped and a smile spread across his face.  
  
"Wow" he whispered.  
  
I stood frozen as he climbed back down the ladder. I sank back into the beanbag, my forehead in my hands. The feelings of abandonment and loneliness came like a flood so strong my eyes burned as tears threatened. In that brief touch, I had only gained one thing from his mind and those four words echoed in my head  
  
"She is so beautiful."  
  
Looking out to the basketball court, Remy was slowly walking across it. He turned around, gave me a quick wave and jogged into the nearby bushes. Taking in a deep breath, I stood up and pushed the beanbag gently through the window. Taking one last look around the mansions grounds, I climbed back inside.  
  
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I woke up the next morning as my alarm clock beeped loudly. Hitting the sleep button on the clock, I lazily looked around the room. I could hear Jubilee singing in the bathroom as I kicked off the sheets. Jubilee was a morning person unlike me. My head felt groggy as I stood up. Banging on the bathroom door, I yelled at Jubilee to hurry up. Moments later, Jubilee came bouncing out of the bathroom, a bright yellow towel wrapped around her tiny frame.  
  
"All yours" she said cheerfully. I groaned back. It's just unnatural to be like that at seven in the morning. Closing the door behind me, I reached over the sink and spun the tap handle. Cupping my hands to catch the water flowing from the tap, I splashed my face in a feeble attempt to wake up. Looking at my reflection in the fogged up mirror and remembered the night before. Had it been real? Or just a nice dream? Gently rubbing my cheek where I had felt his touch. Reaching over to the shower, I turned it on and began to undress.  
  
Finishing my shower, I strolled out of the bathroom and over to my closet. The room was empty, Jubilee had gone downstairs for her usual breakfast of Fruit Loops and Coke. I pulled on a bathrobe, Remy's picture haunted my mind. Towel drying my hair, I gathered it together and tied it into a loose bun. Trying to concentrate on my make-up, my mind continued to wander back to Remy. Finally abandoning my mirror, I went and sat down on Jubilee's beanbag. Once again, the doubt entered my mind. I had had realistic dreams before, how do I know it wasn't all just a great dream. I scrunched up my face, racking my mind to find the answer. Suddenly, it came to me.  
  
If I had touched him, I would have his power, wouldn't I?  
  
Racing across the room, I pulled open the drawers on my desk and searched through the mess inside. Smiling in victory, I pulled out a pack of cards. Gently shuffling them in my bare hands, I selected the ace of spades and discarded the rest. Holding the card out in front of me, I closed my eyes and concentrated hard on Remy's face. My hands began to tingle and as I opened my eyes, the card exploded in my hand, a puff of smoke its only remains. Smiling in triumph, I walked back over to my closet and began to get dressed. 


	5. Mall Crawling Time

Disclaimer : I DO own the X-men and they're mine, ALL MINE  *crouches under desk as Lawyers start banging on my door* Okay okay, They don't belong to me. 

P.S I don't own hot Topic, the FBI or Starbucks either. 

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My fingers pounded against the plastic keys, my eyes glued to the screen. I had asked Kitty to help me get into the FBI files and after heaps of begging and pleading, she had finally gained me entry. I searched through file after file, searching for Remy's face. Hours passed and still no sign of the elusive mutant. Jubilee bounced into the room on her crutches, in her cast-covered hand, a bright gold credit card. A large grin covered her face as she looked at me.

"Mall crawling time!" she giggled.

I stared at her blankly. Two weeks was a long time for Jubilee to go without visited the mall. It was like her second home. My stab wound hadn't even healed yet and she was trying to drag me back. 

"No thanks Jubi, Ah'm kinda busy" I said, pointing at the screen. 

"Come on!" she whined, annoyingly. "You've got a nightclub tan that could blind from staying 'busy'. You've got to get out, you know, do stuff!"

"Go away!" I growled, doing my best impression of Logan.

"Oh, don't you dare do all Wolvie on me." She said. Nope, didn't work. She grabbed my wrist and began to pull. "You're coming to Mall whether you like its or not.

"Fine then." I said, giving in. "But you're buying rounds at Starbucks." Abandoning Kitty's laptop, I followed the hobbling Jubilee out of the room. 

The noises that filled the mall pounded at my ears. It had been two weeks since I had last visited Jubilee's second home and I had forgotten how loud it could be. People around me wandered needlessly as I sat in the coffee shop, my hands clasping a plastic cup containing my favorite herbal tea. Scott sat beside me, his sunglasses scanning the crowd. The only way I had convinced him my life was no longer a threat was to bring him with me. Jubilee had abandoned us for the Glitzy signs pronouncing SALE – TODAY ONLY! so I was stuck with Sir. Stick-up-the-ass. I looked around the busy food court, bored at watching the crowd. Standing up, I reached to put down my tea as I felt Scotts hand on my shoulder.

"Where are we going now?" He asked, sounding bored. 

I smiled back at him, pushing his hand off my shoulder. "We're not going anywhere, Scott. Ah'm going to the Ladies room and you're staying here, that is unless you think ah need to help with that?" I said sarcastically. Scott's jaw clenched slightly as he sat back down. I knew he didn't want me to leave, but knew that he couldn't stop me. Picking up my purse, I joined the crowd, making my way towards the toilets. The toilets were out of the way of the other shops, hidden down a short corridor. Passing the womens toilet door, I continued walking down the corridor, ignoring the signs asking non-employees to turn back. Finding the door, I pushed it opened and took in a deep breathe. Climbing down the concrete stairs, I stared at the rows and rows of cars in front of me. 

Breathing in the cool fresh air, I sat down on the step and looked out over the carpark. 

I sat on the step, just watching as people arrived and left the car park. I thought about how strange my life had become since I had arrived in the mansion. I was wanted by an powerful and dangerous mutant, feared by the human race as well as my peers and unable to enjoy the feel of touch without hurting anyone. Oh, that and my love life was non-existent. The closest thing I had to a boyfriend was the three male minds in my head. And now a great looking guy thinks/tells me I'm beautiful and doesn't come back! 

Interrupted by a annoying beeping sound, I pulled the offending cellphone out of my bag. Glancing at the screen, I sighed and answered the phone.

"Jubilee I don't care if Hot Topic has a sale...." I was cut off by Jubilee's hushed voice.

"We've got a problem back at home that needs X attention. Where are you?" She spoke quickly.

Sighing again, I stood up and opened the door to the mall. "Meet me by the entrance to the girl's toilets."

Scott was pretty pissed off as he drove us home. His face was almost as red as his glasses as he gave me the usual 'what do you think you were doing' speech. The car weaved in and out of the traffic, Scotts eyes staring straight forward as he yelled. Finally we pulled up in front of the mansion and as the gate slowly opened, Scott finished off his responsibility speech. Parking inside the garage, I opened the door and me and Jubilee got out. I made for the door, but Scott got there first, blocking my way. 

"You think I'm kidding when I say we've gotta to be careful. Magneto is after you and we need to protect you from you." He said.

"Right. I'll remember that." I said sarcasticly as I pulled off my right glove. "You wanna get out of my way" I raised my bare hand, slowly bring it closer to his face. He slowly stepped away from the doorway. 

"Thanks." I smiled as I walked past him. 

Jubilee sniggered quietly until Scott shot her a look. "Come on. We've got to see the professor"

The metallic doors of the elevator opened in front of me. Stepping out, I waited as Scott passed me and silently followed with Jubilee hobbling beside me. Scott lead us towards one of the doors and I instantly recognised it as the one for the sterile medical room. 

"New mutant" I asked. Scott nodded, pushing open the heavy steel door.

I walked in and shielded my eyes from the harsh lighting of the medical room. Jean stood at the foot of the bed, her face tired and worried.

The professor sat beside the bed, blocking my view of the face of the man in the bed. Ororo was beside him and she turned as I entered the room. She walked up to Scott

"Its Gambit. He's hurt pretty bad, but Jean says he'll be alright after some treatment."

I racked my brain, trying to remember if I knew the mutant. As my mind drew blank, I noticed the pissed off look on Scotts face. I leaned over to Ororo and whispered in her ear.

"Hey, whats up with Scott? Is this Gambit guy an old enemy or something?"

Scott swung round and faced me. "He's a thief and totally untrustable." 

Ororo smiled at his angry expression. "That and last time they met, Gambit nicked his wallet and bike and went out on the town."

Jubilee shot me a look and the silent room was filled with the sound of our laughter. The professor turned around and smiled at us. Moving over to meet us, I shot a glance at the bed.

A cold shiver ran down my back as I stared at the thin bruised figure covered with pale white sheets. It was Remy.

"Remy?" I gasped as I walked towards the bed. Jean stepped out of my way as I knelt beside the bed. 

"Remy?" I shook his arm gently. Jean stepped forward to stop me, but the professor spoke up.

"No Jean, just leave it." 

The Professor moved over beside me and placed his hand gently on my shoulder as the others stood frozen.

"How do you know Gambit Rogue?" He asked gently.

Unable to find the words, I kept looking at the still figure in the bed as I remembered the night he had come up the fire escape. A single tear rolled down my cheek. I wiped it away, angry that I had let myself cry in front of the others. The Professor nodded his head silently.

"What's wrong with him?" I asked, looking over at Jean. Jean just stared back.

"He's got a concussion, some severe bruising, but nothing life-threating."

I turned back and rested my face against the cool white sheets. "Please leave." I asked quietly.

Scott stepped forward. "Pardon?"

I looked at him. Scott looked confused. I stood up straight and stepped closer to him. I felt my face become devoid of emotion.

"Please Leave, Scott. I want to be only with Remy." 

Scott shot a look at the Professor. The Professor nodded.

"Goodbye Rogue." He said, retreating out of the room, Ororo following. Scott looked angrily down at me, Jean took his arm and gently walked him out of the room. Jubilee leant on her crutches as she walked over towards me. She took a quick look at Remy and smiled at me.

"He's cute" She said, grinning. I opened my mouth to attempt to explain, but she cut me off. "Tell me later, I got a certain pussy-whipped one-eye to piss off. Laters"

Once Jubilee had left, the room was silent, except for mine and Remy's breaths. I pulled over a chair and sat down next to the bed. I leant over and gently stroked his chin, my gloves catching on his unshaven face.

"I think you're beautiful too." I whispered to him.

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Okay People, what do you think? Please Review! My ego's getting hungry! (jj)


	6. Morning Walks

Disclaimer: X-men don't belong to me etc. 

A/N: Just a little bit of fluff that I had to write to keep the story going.

I opened my eyes slowly, shielding them from the harsh lighting. I was leaning against the medical bed, my head resting on the sheets. My neck felt stiff as I sat up and looked at Remy, and was surprised as my eyes met his.

"Morning." I mumbled, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. Remy smiled at me.

"Are all patients here welcomed by a pretty chere at da end of da bed, or is de Remy special?"

"No Remy," I said sarcastically. "You're just dreaming."

Remy's eyes wandered over my body. "mmm, nice dream."

I blushed slightly. Looking away, I composed myself quickly.

"So how are you feeling?" I asked.

Remy sat up in the bed. "Just a couple of bruises, don't see why all da fuss." He replied, all the while, maintaining his charming smile. 

"Great" I said, grabbing his gear. "Then Ah can take you for a tour of the grounds" I smiled as I threw his clothes and trench coat onto his lap, noting the red cotton shirt was among them.

"Okay den" he smiled as I made for the door. 

Opening the door, I stepped outside, leaving Remy to get dressed.

I blushed at the stares I received as me and Remy walked together through Ororo's rose garden. Students glanced at us, their faces surprised as we walked past. Remy had linked his arm in mine and I savored in its warmth. Remy looked around at them, his confusion hidden by his usual black sunglasses. He gently unlinked his arm from mine and leaned over, his face inches from my ear. 

"Why are they staring at me? Did I do some'ting wrong?" he asked.

I looked down, ashamed. "No" I said quietly. "They're staring at me."

"Why?" he asked, his voice surprised. I hesitated.

"Cause people don't usually come this close ta me." I looked away from him, ashamed. "Cause of mah skin."

Remy's face hardened and he looked up at the staring faces. I tried to hide the hurt I felt from him as he took off his glasses and looked me in the eyes. His bare hand brushed my white streak off my face, as it had fallen over my eyes. 

"Don't you worry about dem. You just enjoy the company of dis cajan, k?"

Smiling I nodded. "Thank you." I whispered.

A large smile broke out across his face. 

"Come on, you still haven't showed me da rest of da gardens."

Shaking out of my self pity, I smiled at him and linked my hand back with his. We walked together down the path towards the woods, no longer in sight of the other students. I paused, looking out a the line of trees that stood before us. I ran my hand along the trunks, the course bark catching on my gloves. Remy smiled at me, as though he found this small motion amusing. 

"Remy?" I asked.

"Yes Chére?" 

"Do you know who attacked you?" 

Remy smiled at me. "Dere's no need to worry about dat. Dey couldn't hurt if they wanted to." he laughed. His laughter comforted me somewhat, but I still had a bad feeling.

"Was it Mystique?" I asked. Remy sighed.

"Yes." He said flatly. I felt my gut tighten as a wave of guilt consumed me.

"Ah'm so sorry Remy. Ah didn't want you ta have ta fight my fights."

Remy looked down. He seemed uncomfortable. "It's no matter." He said quickly.

Desperate to change the subject, I glanced down at my watch. 

"You want something ta eat?" I asked, looking back at the mansion.

"No, I'm fine but if you're hungry...." he said. Shaking my head, we began walking again. Passing tree after trees, neither of us spoke. I kept glancing at Remy as he stared straight ahead, as though he was taking the sights. Trying to enjoy the walk, a question burned inside me.

"Why did yah come ta visit me Remy?"

Remy paused and looked over at me. He sighed nervously. "Look at dis here. I be the thief, chere..." he paused, "and there you go off stealin' my heart.I like you Marie." he said. "Would you go out with me?"

I stood frozen in shock. Realizing my mouth had dropped, I quickly closed it. Had he just asked me out? I stuttered, trying to find the words to say.

Remy looked embarrassed. "I am sorry, Chère, I did not mean to......." I placed my hand over his mouth as he continued to mumble into my glove and smiled at the astonished look on his face.

"Ah would love ta go out with you." I said, smiling.

"You will?" he asked, seeming unsure.

"No Remy, Ah just like to joke." I said sarcastically, placing my hands on my hips.

A smile spread across his face as he grabbed me and lifted me up into the air. I screamed with pleasure as he twirled me around. Placing me back on the ground, he took my hand gently in his and we slowly began walking back to the mansion.

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Yeah, I know its disgraceful fluff, but ain't it sweet? For all you guys who didn't like this one, 1. Get over it and 2. Wait til you see what I got next!!!!

Remy's Quote from Mavel

_"Look at dis here. I be the thief, chere...and there you go off stealin' my heart." - Gambit, Rogue Ltd. Series #2 _


	7. Single White Rose

Disclaimer: I don't own the x-men, but since Remy's not in the movie, Can I have him???? 

I checked myself in the mirror as I made for the door. Hair? Fine. Clothes? Black cotton pants, black baby-t and gloves? Fine. Make-up? Perfect. Grabbing my purse, I closed the door behind myself and walked down the hall.

"Good Morning Rogue." Ororo's soft voice greeted me as I passed on my way into the mess hall. The large hall was filled with students and the sound of their endless chatter. I looked over the sea of faces and froze as I spotted him at the far table with a couple of my friends. He was staring out the window in front of him. Outside, autumn had come to the mansion and the fields were covered with brown and gold leaves. 

On the table across from Remy, Jubilee sat with her cast up, her body wrapped in Bobby's arms. The two of them had become an item shortly after me and Remy had begun dating and couldn't seem to keep off each other. On the other end of the table, Kitty sat talking to John. 

Remy seemed disinterested as he stared out through his shaggy hair that fell over his face. He had been staying at the mansion for three weeks now and was finally starting to settle. Today he was dressed in his usual trenchcoat, covering a pair of black pants and a red and white t-shirt. In his hands, a single white rose was entwined in his fingers. I watched his face smile at the small rose as he brought it up to the light that poured through the window, before it disappeared back up his sleeve. 

Each of our 5 dates so far had started with a single white rose. For each date, I received a white rose before being rushed away for a day or night of romance. For our first date, he took me out for a candlelight dinner in Ororo's prized rose garden. There he had presented me with the first rose. He pulled it out of his sleeve and using his power, gently opened it to reveal a silver ring. My hand reached up to the dogtags that hung around my neck, to which I had attached the ring. Logan's dogtags.......

"Good Morning Rogue." Jeans voice brought me out of my Remy-induced trance.

"Oh, Morning Jean" I stuttered back. Realizing that I was standing in her way of the breakfast bar, I grabbed a stuffed bagel from the buffet style table and headed over to the table. I gave Katie a quick wave and sat down next to Remy

"Hey sugah." I said, sitting down beside him. Remy's face brightened as he looked at me. 

"Hello Chére" he said taking my hand and gently kissing the top of my head through my hair. I shuffled over to him as sat leaning against him, his arms around me.

Jubilee's face melted into the 'ohh that's soo cute' look. "Now why don't you greet me like that?" she asked Bobby jokingly.

"Cause your shampoo smells like crap." he replied back. Jubilee looked shocked and playfully nudging him in the stomach.

Remy smiled at their playful antics. "Madam?" he said in his cute French accent as he pulled out the white rose from his sleeve. My face broke into a wide grin as I accepted it. With his arms still around my waist, we stood up together.

"See yah guys later." I giggled.

 Jubilee smiled knowingly as I waved at her, the white rose in my hand as we walked towards the door.

I stared at the remnants of my desert as I ran my spoon through the melted ice-cream. Remy was still finishing his chocolate cake. I looked out the window at the amazing view of New York City. We had spent the day together at the Statue of Liberty. It was the first time I had been there since the incident and I felt surprisingly calm and safe with him. 

Now as darkness descended on the city, we were in a French Restaurant with large windows overlooking Central park. Below us, two teenagers sat together illuminated by a streetlight, locked in each others embrace. It looked like they were trying to suck to the life out of the other, but I couldn't help but be jealous. Distracted by the clutter of a fork hitting a plate, I turned back to look at Remy. He was sitting back in his seat, a smug look of satisfaction across his face as he slowly rubbed his stomach.

"Now dat," he indicated the empty dish "was good cake." 

"Can we go?" I asked, bored with the stuck-up atmosphere of the restaurant. Remy looked a little surprised with my request. "Sure." he said, indicated to the waiter that he wanted the check. 

After paying, we exited the building and Remy pulled out the ticket for the valet. As he reached to give the valet the small piece of paper, I snatched from his hand. 

"What are you doing Marie?" He asked confused. I smiled evilly and waved it in the air. He stepped forward to grab it from me. I pulled it out of his reach. "Marie." he sighed. "What are you doin'?" 

A giggle erupted from my throat. "You want it, come and get it." I said teasingly, tucking the ticket into my bra. 

Remy's right eyebrow shot up. I turned around and ran into central park, closely followed by Remy. I ran though the tree, my feet kicking up the golden leaves. Remy was right behind me. I felt his hand grab at my feet and I tripped and fell onto a large pile of leaves. Still giggling, I lay on the leaves as Remy fell on top of me. He was panting softly, his breath tickled at my neck. He slowly raised himself off me and our eyes met. His lifted his hand and wiggled his fingers in front of me like a magician. I stopped breathing as he gently traced the v neck on my t-shirt and pulled out the ticket.

"Ta-da." I whispered to myself.

Remy rolled across to the ground beside me and we both sat looking at the stars for what seemed like ages. 

"What do you think you'll do in the future Marie?" Remy's voice came though the silence.

I considered it carefully. What is there for me to do in the future? "I dunno." I replied. "I guess I'll stay at the mansion, join the X-men and teach."

"Non" Remy said. "You are much better than dat."

I rolled over to face Remy. "What makes you say that?"

"You ain't right for the X-men, mon-chere. You ain't the fightin' type." He said softly, his fingers tracing circle on my stomach.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked half-jokingly.

"Well I've seen you fight Marie…"

"Ah can fight just as well as anyone!" I yelled.

"Chére....." Remy sat up, his eyes pleading me to be quiet. 

"Don't you dare Chére me!" I yelled at him. I stood up and looked down on him. "I want to go now." I said coldly. Remy looked up at me, his mouth opening and closing like a fish as he searched for something to say. Finally, he looked down in defeat and nodded his head. 

The car was silent as we drove back to the mansion. As we pulled into the garage, I jumped out of the car and made for the door.

"Wait!" Remy called after me.

I paused by the door, leaning against the framework. Taking a deep breath, I turned around.

"I'm sorry." Remy said, his eyes avoiding mine. "I didn't mean it."

"Yes you did." I said bluntly, fighting the burning sensation in my eyes. "And that what hurts. Goodnight Remy."

I wrapped my coat tightly around myself and ran thorough the hall towards the stairs. Keeping my head down to avoid questions, I didn't see the person in front of me 'til I was flat on my back. My head hit the floor on the way down and a splitting headache echoed through my head. My eyes were closed as I sat up, my fingers at my temples.

"You alright?" I opened my eyes at the sound of the familiar voice and my hand flew to my dogtags._ Please don't let this be the concussion_ I thought to myself as I looked up. Logan face hovered above me, a look of concern on his face. 

"L.. Logan?" I stuttered.

"Oh shit. You didn't hit me that hard did you?" He said, jokingly. He offered his hand and I accepted it as he helped me get to my feet. 

"Ouch." I gingerly touched the back of my head. My head was pounding and I felt slightly dizzy as I stood back and looked at Logan. I stood frozen, caught between wanting to kick him in the balls and hugging him. 

We stood facing each other, the silence between was awkward at the least. I watched Logan eyes travel from my face, to my neck, then down to my chest, where the dogtags disappeared under my t-shirt. Remembering Remy was coming, I looked around nervously. 

"Look Logan," I broke the silence. "I'm kinda trying to avoid someone, so I'll see you around later ok?"

Before he had a chance to answer, I walked past him and up the stairs. Pausing at the top, I looked back down at Logan. 

"It's nice ta see you're back." Logan nodded as I turned back and jogged back to my room.

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Logan's back and Remy and Rogue had their first fight. *evil laugh* I know it's kinda short but there's more to come!!!!!

P.S Please Review!!! When my ego is fed, I write faster!


	8. Gym

Disclaimer; X-men are not mine blah, blah, etc, etc

A/N: A big thanks to Jenny for helping me out with this chapter!!!! 

I watched as Logan walked across the gym, a pair of weights in his hands. He raised the weights and lowered them, a slight grunt escaping his mouth with each lift. Taking a deep breath, I stepped into the gym. 

"Umm, Hi Logan." I said softly, running my fingertips along the discarded weights as I walked towards him.

"Hey Marie." He grunted, still pumping with the weights. "What brings you to my territory?"

"I have a favor to ask." I said, getting down to business. It wasn't worth beating around the bush. "I need you to show me some moves. Teach me to fight." 

"I thought that was Scott's job?" Logan grinned sadistically.

"Yeah," I paused. "But you fight dirty," I said teasingly. Logan's eyebrow rose and I could see he was interested.

"Sure" He shrugged. "What do you want to know?"

I smiled. "Everything."

I looked around at the vast space in which I stood in. I was in the danger room. Scott had always conducted his lessons in the gym. I stared at the metallic walls and felt the padded mats beneath my sneakers. Logan entered at the other end of the Danger room. He was wearing a pair of sweat pants and a white single top. Logan pointed at my outfit.

"You gonna be comfortable in that?"

I looked down at my own outfit. I was wearing a skin-tight body suit that covered my legs and arms with a baggy t-shirt over top. "Sure." I shrugged. 

We stood facing each other in silence. "Ready?" Logan asked. 

"Ready." I replied.

"Activate Stimulation 6592" Logan called out.

A computerized voice came from no-where. 

"Simulation 6592, Alleyway, nighttime sequence, combat training ground. Prepare for loading."

The metallic walls around me dissolved and were replaced by an alleyway. The bright lighting of the danger room grew dimmer until it was pitch black. I looked around for Logan, unable to see in the darkness. Standing alone, I blinked slowly, willing my eyes to adjust. A rustle came from behind me and I spun around, my hands up and ready to hit out. Two hands shot out from my left and I was pushed to the ground. Landing on my right shoulder, I rolled onto my back and pushed myself onto my feet. Logan stood ready. I threw a punch at his stomach, hitting just underneath his ribcage. He took the hit, turning slightly to the left and jabbed his elbow into my exposed shoulder blade.

"Number one," He said as I rubbed my sore shoulder, "Never throw a punch if it will leave a vulnerable part of your body exposed

Acknowledging his advice, I dropped down, kicking upwards at his face. I hit his nose, drawing blood

Logan smiled. "So, Scott does know something about fighting."

I didn't reply, instead backing up to access the situation. Logan's nose had stopped bleeding and he stared back at me. I ran towards him, jumping slightly to kick him in the chest. Logan stumbled backwards, but recovered quickly. He dropped down and swiped his leg out, kicking mine from underneath me. I hit the ground. Hard.

"Number two; don't kick your partner like that unless he or she is your height or shorter."

Groaning, I rolled over and sat up. Logan offered his hand to me. 

"Just give me a sec." I asked, taking in some deep breaths. Ignoring the pain in my shoulder and side, I stood up and faced Logan again. 

"Now remember, you are unequally matched against someone like me." He said bluntly. I see his ego hasn't deflated since he left. "Fighting isn't fair, so don't play fair. Fight dirty."

I put my hands on my hips, pretending to be bored. "You finished?" 

Logan smiled and charged forward. At the last second, I stepped to the side and slammed the side of my hand into his Adam's apple. I heard a sharp crack and Logan fell gasping to the ground. He lay there withering for a few moments until he suddenly stopped moving and fell silent. I stepped forward. Oh shit, had I hurt him that bad? Finally he took in a deep breath and I felt myself do the same. He brought his legs up underneath him, his head still on the ground.

"Shit," he croaked. "How the fuck did you learn that?"

"Hey! You said fight dirty, so I did." I said defensively.

"I had no idea that you'd do that!" He coughed. Rubbing his neck, Logan stood up and charged at me. Catching me unprepared, my body was slammed into the wall behind me. Logan held me against the wall.

"Number 3; even when they're down, be prepared for attack." He said, flicking my nose with his index finger. I brought my leg up and kicked him off me. 

Switching legs, I kicked to his face, but Logan deflected my kick. I threw a punch at his cheek, but he grabbed my arm and twisted it behind my back. I arched my back and tried to loosen his grip on my arm but succeed only in giving him my other arm. Logan chuckled at me as I squirmed in his grip. Asshole. I jumped up and flicked my legs behind his knee, forcing them to buckle. He went down onto his back with me on top. His grip on my hand loosened and I spun round. Straddling him, I gave a quick punch to his nose, smiling as I saw the blood flow again. Logan rolled over on top of me.

"I heard about your run-in with Mystique." He said, as he held my wrists down.

"Can we talk about this another time," I grunted, kneeing him in the groin and rolled back on top of him.

"Is that what this lesson's all about?" He said, blocking the punches I threw at his rib cage.

"No." I said. Was this about my fighting? Or Remy?

Logan must have sensed my distraction as he pushed me off and jabbed me in the ribs, right where Mystique had stabbed me. I fell to the ground, desperately trying to suck air into my lungs. My ribs throbbed as I clutched them.

"Heard about that too." Logan said coolly as kneeled down beside me. "Number 4; know your opponent's weaknesses."

"Yeah, great." I gasped sarcastically. "And what's your weak spot Mr. Adamantium-skeleton?"

He hesitated "You," he said quietly.

Huh? Did he just say me? I stood up quickly, slowly stepping away from him. No, I thought. He can't still like me. When did he ever? My hand reached up and I clutched the metal dogtags hanging around my neck. I closed my eyes and jumped slightly as I backed into the wall. I shook my head in disbelief. No. He can't do this to me. Not again. Images of him leaving flooded my head as I slid down the wall onto the ground. I opened my eyes. The alleyway had faded away and we were back in the metallic danger room. Logan's face was inches from mine, a look of concern on his face.

"Marie?" he whispered.

I looked away from him, trying desperately to blink away the tears that had formed in my eyes. Logan stood up and turned away. I caught pieces of his mumbles as he cursed at himself.

"You stupid idiot........ I knew she didn't feel the same.....Asshole."

I pushed myself off the ground. Holding my still sore side, I walked up behind him and put my hand on his shoulder. 

"Logan." He turned around and looked into my eyes, a look of vulnerability on his face. 

"You don't know how long Ah've waited for you to say that." A single tear ran down my cheek. Logan stepped forward, his arms ready to pull me into a hug. I pushed them away, not wanting his touch. 

"You left me Logan." I said, turning away from him. "You were the only person Ah knew, the only person Ah trusted and you left me, here, in a school full of people Ah didn't know." I looked back at him. He was stunned, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. But I wasn't finished yet.

"You went away Logan, taking my heart with you. There were no letters, no phone calls, not even one postcard saying 'oh hey, look, I'm still alive. And just when Ah start to live my own life you come back........."

I froze as Logan stepped closer and gently leant in. I arched up to him as he gently kissed my neck though the body suit. Shivers ran up and down my spine as he moved downwards and kissed across my collar bone. I opened my eyes. What am I doing? I raised my hand and using my index finger, raised Logan's head. 

"Logan, Ah can't do this," I said softly. "Ah waited for you. But Ah found someone else. Someone who cares and will be there for me. Ah'm sorry."

I stepped backwards and walked around him towards the door. Seeing something out of the corner of my eye, I looked up at the control room. Staring down at me was Remy. His devilish eye's were filled with tears and his face was contorted in pain. His mouth opened and although I couldn't hear him, I saw what he said. Bitch.

My jaw dropped. Hadn't he just heard what I said? I felt a stab of emotional pain as my brain clicked. He couldn't have heard through the thick glass. 

"Fuck," I mumbled, running to the door. It swung open, almost hitting Remy as he walked past it.

"Remy!" I called out to him as he walked down the corridor, stopping at the elevator. I jogged up behind him.

"Remy, Ah know it looked bad."

"No!" He yelled, turning round. "It looked like you were with Logan. I saw it, I saw every single kiss!"

"Please, you don't understand......."

"Understand?" He laughed, his voice painful. "I understand fine. One fight and you go running off to HIM!" He pointed back towards the danger room and his voice went soft. "I thought I meant more to you than that."

The elevator opened and Remy stepped inside. "Goodbye, Marie," he said as the doors closed in front of me.

My bones felt like they had turned to jelly and I sunk to the floor. "You mean everything to me," I sobbed. I had just ruined everything. With my sobs echoing in the empty corridor, I curled up and just cried.


	9. Jack Daniels and David

A/N: All the writing in _Italics _is a memory. Big thanks to Jenny, cause without her, my writing wouldn't make much sense!

  
  
  


I sighed deeply as I sat out on the fire escape, wiping away another tear that escaped from my eyes. The cold wind swirled around me as dark clouds gathered in the sky. In the distance, the hills were covered in an orange glow as the sun disappeared behind them. I lifted the bottle of Jack Daniels and took a large swig, letting it burn on its way down. 

I licked the remainder of the liquid from my lips and looked out over the shadowy grounds below me. I had been trying to drown my sorrows since Remy had stormed out of the lower levels, leaving me all alone. The bottle was one of the Professor's. It was part of a crate originally destined to be for entertaining guests, but now it was on its way down to my stomach, the alcohol helping dissolve the pain I felt. Unfortunately, the pain a person feels when her heart is ripped out doesn't dissolve easily. Logan had come to talk to me after he had finished in the danger room. 

.~.~.~.~.~.~.~..~.~.~.~.~.~.~..~.~.~.~.~.~.~..~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

_"Marie?" _

_I poked my head out from underneath my pillow where I had taken refuge. "What do you want?" I asked, my voice strained. "Haven't you screwed up my life enough?"_

_"Can I?" __Logan__ asked, pointing at the bed. I sat and stared as __Logan__ sat down at the end of bed and releasing a deep sigh as he ran his hand through his hair. _

_"I'm sorry okay." he said softly. "I didn't know. I didn't even think."_

_"That doesn't change what you did."_

_He spun around to face me"And you didn't respond?"_

_"I don't get touched a lot Logan. And when I do, I savour it as much as possible." I sighed, choosing my words carefully. "I liked it okay. I liked it when you kissed me, but not cause it was you."_

_Logan__'s jaw clenched and I could see he was angry. "You liked it, but not because of me." He growled in annoyance and stood up. "So what am I? Repulsive?"_

_"Stop twisting my words!" I screamed. "Look __Logan__, I care for you," I paused as I stared at the floor. "but not in that way."_

_Logan__ nodded and stood up. "Alright then."_

_He turned to leave._

_"Wait." I called out. _

_He stood by the door. I went to my bedside and grabbed the dog tags. Pulling off the ring Remy gave me, I handed them to __Logan__._

Logan looked down at them and nodded. "Goodbye Marie." He said quickly before walked out the door. 

.~.~.~.~.~.~.~..~.~.~.~.~.~.~..~.~.~.~.~.~.~..~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

I took another swig from the bottle, finishing the last of the sour liquid inside. Discarding it, I reached inside the window and grabbed another bottle from the crate. 

"Great." I slurred silently, popping the top off the new bottle. I lifted my eyes and the bottle towards the sky. "Herees ta happiness." I toasted, attempting to skull the bottle, but succeeding only in spilling half of the precious liquid down my front. 

"Nice one." David mocked me. 

Oh shut up, David. You have nothing to do with this. 

"I'm just sitting back here with a bag of popcorn, watching this little soap opera unfold." he said with a laugh. "You should really sell your life story. I can imagine it now, The Young and Mutated."

"Don't make me block you out David!"

"Go ahead. But don't you come crying to me when your Remy won't take you back." 

"That's it David, you're so........" 

"Marie?"

Okay, have I drunk too much or did I just hear Remy? I peered over the side. Below me Remy stood, a calm look on his face. I stared at him in disbelief.

"Are you coming or not?" he said, holding out his hand towards me.

Huh? I blinked my eyes slowly, making sure I wasn't dreaming. Once I had established that, yes I was actually awake, I jumped into action. Grabbing the bottle, I crawled over the beanbag and quickly released the catch to the ladder. It groaned loudly as it reached towards the ground. I climbed down as fast as I could, turning round every few steps to check he was still there. Missing the last step, I fell flat on my back. Man it hurt, but I couldn't help but laugh. Remy walked over to me and helped me up.

"Are you all right Chere?" he asked, a look of concern on his face. I leaned against his warm body and nodded.

"I just had a little drink. Just a little bitty drink." I held up the half empty bottle as proof. Oops. Hiding the bottle behind my back, I grinned sheepishly at Remy. His charming grin was still on his face.

"Look Remy, I overreacted to the whole fighting thing...."

"Come on Chere," he cut me off. "I have a surprise to show you." 

I frowned. "But aren't you still angry with me?" I asked as him as he led me towards the forest. I stumbled slightly, but Remy supported me along the way, a look of determination on his face.

"No Rogue," he said. "All is forgiven." 

As we reached the tree line, Remy laid me down on a pile of leaves and looked into the forest. I unscrewed the bottle and was about to offer some to Remy, but he walked off into the forest, his silk shirt rippling underneath his trenchcoat. 

I looked back at the mansion, wondering what surprise Remy had in store for me. I looked at Logan's room and jolted upright. Logan was standing in his room, talking to Remy. But that's not right........

My mind suddenly sobered up as I realized that something was wrong. There were two Remys, but which one was real? Turning around, I almost jumped to find Remy was behind me.

"What's wrong, Rogue?" 

I looked down at him. And my brain clicked. Remy never called me Rogue and he hadn't worn the silk shirt since Mystique ripped it....... 

I looked down at the complete shirt and stepped back. Remy's charming smile dropped from his face. I turned to run, but landed face-first in a pile of dirt as my legs were swiped out from underneath me. I clawed at the ground, trying desperately to get away. Two strong arms grabbed at my ankles and I was pulled into the air. My stomach felt queasy and I could taste the bile in my throat. I tried to kick out with my feet, but the grip just tightened. 

Remy came into view and he bent over, his face only inches from mine. His demonic eyes turned yellow as he laughed at me. Turning away, I watched in horror as he turned into Mystique. Twisting myself around, I looked up at a grinning Sabretooth and promptly threw up. 

Mystique jumped back in disgust, Sabretooth almost dropped me into it. Close enough to the ground, I pushed off the ground with my hands, sending a foot into Sabretooth's face. It was just enough to get him to loosen his grip, so when I twisted, he dropped me. Right into the pile of puke. 

Shaking my stomach contents from my hand, Mystique kicked me in the face. If I didn't already have a headache from the alcohol my head was now exploding in pain. Barely able to see straight, I crawled towards the blurry light that was the mansion. Behind me, I heard laughter.

"Shut up!" I said, looking back at Mystique's laughing figure. "I'm drunk and hurt. Just leave me alone!" 

And for a sec there, I thought she would. Yeah, right. Sabretooth picked me up underneath my arms and carried me outstretched towards Mystique.

"Ohh, poor baby," She mocked me. I kicked her face, hitting her nose. I smiled as she wiped the blood from her nose, only to be smacked over the head by Sabretooth's big nasty paw.

"Let me down!" I screamed at him, struggling against his restraint. Mystique nodded and Sabretooth dropped me. Seeing my chance, I made a break for it. And I would have made it too, if Toad hadn't jumped on me. 

"Tie her up." Mystique instructed. 

Toad sat on me, grinning as he tied my legs and hands. He rolled me over and Sabretooth took his cue and picked me up, slinging me over his shoulder. As he started walking into the forest, I used my other line of defense.

"HELP!!! SOMEBODY HELP ME!!!" I screamed. My voice was promptly silenced by a glob of slime, provided by Toad.

Mystique held up her hand a few feet into the forest and Sabretooth stopped and put me down. Mystique pulled out a knife from a sheath she was carrying and grabbed at my tied hands. I moved them away from her, grinning at her angry face. She pulling the knife up and pressed it against my neck.

"I could kill you right now, do you know that?" 

I gave my 'well duh' look. Mystique pressed the knife harder against my neck.

"I could leave you here bound and bleeding to death and they wouldn't even know." The steel point of the knife cut into my skin and I felt it nick my skin. 'Oh shit' I thought nervously looking at the knife.

Amazingly, Toad came to my rescue.

"Back off there Mysti." he said softly, gripping her blue hand. "Remember we still need her."

Mystique's face twitched in anger. Sighing, she lowered the knife and grabbed at my hands. I felt a sharp pain as she dragged the knife across the center of my palm. And holy shit it hurt. Warm blood spread across my hand, soaking my gloves.

Mystique put the knife back in the sheath and leaned over to whisper in my ear. "Magneto wants your little boyfriend," she chuckled, "and you're going to lead him right into our trap." 

I grabbed at her face, trying to connect my bare skin with hers. I felt Sabretooth's furry hand grab my neck and I froze.

"Come on." Mystique told Sabretooth. 

Sabretooth picked me up and slung me over his shoulder and slowly began walking deeper into the forest. I clasped my hands together, hoping to stop the flow of blood. It dripped onto the ground, leaving a steady trail of red.   
  


We kept walking long into the night. My eyesight was going blurry, probably from the lost of blood and the alcohol in my system. I had a killer headache but that was just the beginning of a hangover. We came to a clearing and Sabretooth dropped me onto the hard ground. 

I struggled to sit up and looked around. It wasn't a clearing as I had originally thought, it was a road. Parked a little further up was a black Jeep. Toad and Sabretooth busied themselves packing and preparing to leave as Mystique checked a series of silver briefcases. I tried to get up, feeling lethargic. My legs were like jelly and as much as I tried to stand, I couldn't. I managed to get onto my hands and knees, but after crawling a few feet, I felt extremely tired. Mystique walked over, pulling gloves over her 

hands. She grabbed at my injured hand, inspecting it.

"I see you got it to stop bleeding." She said with a smirk. "No matter, I'll just take the glove." 

She pulled off the glove exposing my bare hand. I reached up at her face but she just smacked my hand away. Walking away, Mystique grabbed a piece of paper from the jeep and stuffed it inside my glove. Discarding the glove, Mystique ordered Sabretooth to put me in the back of the Jeep as she hopped into the back seat. Sabretooth lay me down among the metallic briefcases and closed the boot. It was cramped in the back, but I still managed to maneuver my head so I could see out the Jeep's back window, up at the stars. I felt strangely calm as I stared up at the dots of light in the sky, remembering the time at the park. I had been such an idiot. The jeep's engine rumbled to life and Mystique leant over the seat and looked at me.

"Goodnight." She said, pointing a dart gun at my arm. Closing my eyes, I welcomed the oblivion of sleep and with a quiet bam, I was there. 


	10. Hangover

Disclaimer: I don't own them.

Hey Readers! Sorry it took so long. I'm kind of getting sick of writing this story, so I took a few weeks off this one.(the plot bunnies attacked me during the break, I have about 6 unfinished stories in my top drawer)

I hope this long chapter will help you forgive me. 

All Thought speech is surrounded by ** (little star thingys_) and memories are in italics._

The pounding in my ears bought me out of the darkness and into consciousness. My headache grew steadily stronger until my head felt like it was going to split open. 

Hangover headaches. What a bitch.

I lifted my hands to rub my temples only to be stopped by a heavy pair of cuffs. Gently opening my eyes, the blast of the bright lighting stung at my eyes and my headache flared. Leaning down towards the floor, I covered my eyes with my hand and opened them again, allowing them to gradually get used to the lighting. 

The source of the bright light hung above me, casting a spotlight upon me and my restraints. I strained my eyes to see past it into the darkness around me. Giving up on the pitiful lighting, I began to inspect my restraints.

The metal cuffs on my hands were thick and heavy, a short chain connecting them to the floor. The inside of them were lined with black velvet, tickling at my bare hands. 

"Ah, I see you have awakened." Magneto's soft voice came from the shadows.

I looked up as he stepped into the spotlight, the light above him casting a shadow onto his face, making him appear gaunt and tired.

"What do you want with me this time?" I asked confidently.

"It's been a while, hasn't it Marie?" Magneto said, kneeling down on one knee beside her. "I heard you having relations with a young man by the name of Remy LeBeau. Am I correct?"

I didn't reply, I just widened my eyes and shrugged. The friendly smile dropped from his face and he stood up walking back into the darkness. 

"Strap her into the devise."

The chains connecting my cuffs to the floor broke and began to pull me into the shadows. 

"Hey!" I screamed into the darkness. 

As I struggled to pull myself against the force of the metal cuffs, light flooded the room, revealing the small group that was the Brotherhood. The cuffs pulled me into the air and I couldn't help but scream in pain as the sides of the metal cuffs cut into my tender wrists. Mystique left her position beside the watching Magneto and strolled over to me, a smug look across her face.

"Oh, this is going to be fun."

The screech of metal against metal came from behind me and a silver chair halted underneath me. The cuffs lowered me into the chair as Mystique stood ready to strap me in. In a last ditch effort of resistance, I swung my hips, kicking out with my foot. Connecting with Mystique's nose, she fell backwards, landing in an unconscious heap in the ground. My triumph was short lived as my metal cuffs swung violently behind my back and held them there, dislocating my left wrist. 

Magneto nodded at Sabretooth, who promptly advanced towards me. My headache returned and my knees buckled underneath me. Sabretooth watched me slump against the chair, my hands twisted painfully behind me. Grabbing my collar, he roughly pushed me into the chair and strapped my hands and feet. 

Metal straps bent across my stomach, knees and forehead, the coolness soothing my pounding head. Soft pads connected to wires attached themselves to the skin on my forehead and arms. 

Sabretooth bent down and picked up the unconscious Mystique, carrying her into another room.

Toad stood grinning as Magneto walked over to a metallic podium-like machine. Magneto shot him an evil look and Toad took the clue and left. That left me and him alone.

"Eric, please......." I begged as he began to press buttons and flick switches. I struggled against the restraints, but they held. 

"Please don't do this." My voice was barely louder than a whisper. Eric looked at me, a look of sympathy on his face. Our eyes connected and the room fell silent. 

"Please........" I whispered.

He closed his eyes, slowly shaking his head. When he looked up again, his face was hard and determined. Leaning over, he flicked a switch and the chair began to hum softly. 

Desperation set in and I knew I had to do something. Searching through Eric's memories which I had hidden in the depths of my mind, words came to me and I began to speak.

"Meister der Welt, die König war, vor jeder möglicher....."

"Shut up," Magneto said angrily, walking out from behind the podium.

"Zur Zeit als er alle durch seinen Willen bildete, dann wurde sein Name ' König ' genannt......."

"Shut Up!" Magneto screamed, standing in front of me. "You have no right!"

Ignoring his words, I closed my eyes, continued to speak.

"Und nachdem alles gegangen ist, Er, das ehrfürchtige, regiert alleine."

I felt an explosion of pain on my cheek as Magneto slapped me. I promptly stopped speaking as his hand clasped over my mouth. My skin immediately reacted and pulled at him. Memories of Eric in the concentration camp came flooding into my head. Memories of waiting in train carts as the rabbi's repeated prayer after prayer, including the same words which I had just spoken. 

Remembering my training with Xavier, I desperately began to file and push the memories. Flashes of standing in mud, My mother's screaming face, the gates crumbling before me. I felt the hate and fear of the human race, which I felt boil inside me. Pushing these feelings and memories away, I quickly focused on my current situation.

My eyes flew open and I watched as Eric stumbled backwards and leant against the podium. He weakly looked up at me and with a flick of his wrist; a dart came flying towards my neck. I feebly attempted to construct a force field around myself. I could taste the metallic feel of the liquid inside the dart. It was Iron.

I could feel the magnetic field around me begin to falter, so in a last ditch attempt, I threw all my energy into forcing the dart back at Magneto. The dart flew towards and I felt him catch it with his powers. The small piece of steel fell to the ground, the sound of it bouncing echoing around the room.

"Don't make this any harder than it has to be." Magneto said emotionless as he pulled another dart from his belt. Flicking it upwards with his index finger and thumb, it spun in the air a few times and began to come towards me.

I didn't have time to construct a magnetic field and I felt the prick of the needle as it entered my skin. I pushed against the Iron as it flowed into my bloodstream, but succeeded only in causing myself more pain. Magneto released the pressure on the dart and it fell from my neck. 

He took in a deep breath and picked up a small remote.

I felt the prick as it entered my skin and a slight warmth as the liquid inside flowed into my veins.

"Let us hope that your Friend gets here soon," he said pointing the remote at me.

I heard the quiet click of the switch and the whirring sound grew louder until suddenly, my whole world exploded in pain. My ears were filled with the sounds of a piercing howling scream, not recognizable as my own. My blood felt like it was on fire as the pain racked my body in waves. Tears run down my face as I gritted my teeth together. 

Finally the pain began to fade and the whirring sound ceased. Taking in deep breathes, Magneto walked over to me.

"Do you know a Remy Lebeau?" he said calmly. Taking in a deep breath, I sat up straight, looking him square in the eye.

Magneto waited patiently for me to reply. "Fine then." He mumbled walking back towards the podium. 

*Marie?* A gentle voice entered my head.

*Professor!* I almost began to cry as I heard his calm metal voice.

*Are you alright?* He asked.

*Magneto's got me wired, he trying to shock information out of me.* 

The Professor paused. *Alright. Marie, it is important that you stay calm. Help is on its way.*

*Who?* I asked.

*Remy and Logan.*

*Are you high?* I blurted out, regretting my words the instant I thought them.

*No, I am not.* The Professor said dryly. *As soon as Remy heard that you were missing and last seen walking with him into the forest, he figured it was Mystique. He took the keys to the Jeep, Logan managed to hitch a ride with him.*

*Oh great* I thought to the professor, Just what I need. Logan and Remy together, with talk time.

*You should really have know not to walk off into the forestry at night, whether or not your with a friend.*

*Well I was kinda, umm, distracted.* I replied, not knowing whether he had discover the missing crate.

Guess he had.

*We must also believe you are the person I need to talk to about a certain crate of missing Jean Bean....* He trailed off as my face felt red with embarrassment.

*Sorry Professor........* I was distracted by the whirring sound of my chair and was quickly snapped out of my trance. Magneto stood behind the podium, the power gauge lighting up in front of him.

*Shit!* I yelled to the Professor. *He's starting it back up again.* 

I gripped at my restraints and took in deep breathes, slowly trying to resist screaming.

*Marie* The Professor entered my mind, his voice slightly more worried than before. *Listen to me carefully. Do you remember absorbing me a few months ago?*

I quickly scanned my mind searching for the memory. *Yeah, I guess.*

Three months early, I had briefly absorbed some of his powers in a training exercise to help control the voices in my head and block off others memories.

*Marie, Concentrate on that memory and my voice. I'm going to try something.*

I closed my eyes, blocking off the sound of the whirring machine behind me. Emptying my head of all thought, I concentrated on the memory of that day. 

_I was standing in the Professors office, light from outside was streaming in. It was a boiling hot day, so the professor told me to remove my gloves and long jersey during training. I felt nervous as I leant in, my hand out stretched towards him. Jean stood to the side, to help the professor or myself if anything went wrong. I touched his skin, savoring the cool, softness of his face. Veins protruded from his neck and he began to make quiet gasping noises. My hands flew to my head as voice after voices entered my head. Logan was thinking about his claws, Ororo was thinking of her flowers, Scott, of Jean. _

_I fell to my knees, desperately trying to block my ears from the painful loud noises. The Professor leant back in his wheelchair as Jean entered my mind constructing a mental barrier. _

_"Now we may begin the mental training." The professor said softly._

I was distracted from my memory as I felt a strong feeling of nausea, followed by a sensation of floating. Keeping my eyes closed, I heard the sound of the machine reaching it highest pitch and a click as Magneto threw the switch. Bracing myself for the pain, I was gratefully surprised as it didn't come.

Opening my eyes, I gasped in shock as I found myself floating above my own body.

.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Okay, just as an explanation, the words in German is a Jewish prayer that I found. I don't know if it is translated properly, I'm really sorry if it isn't. 

P.S Thanks to all my reviewers for me 100 reviews!!! Lucky439 gave me my 100th review, so when I do infiltrate Marvel and kidnap Remy and Logan, I'll let you have them for a day or two!!!


	11. Floating

I don't own the x-men, blah, bloody blah!

A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update! Got way too much homework and hardly enough time!

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I was dumbfounded by the sight of my own twitching form below me. 

"Holy Shit!" I began to hyperventilate, failing my arms, trying to swim through the air back to my body. Suddenly, a thought struck me and I froze.

"Ah must be dead." My own words hit me like a ton of bricks. I found myself screaming at the top of my lungs, unheard by Magneto below. Scared out of my head, I spun around in the air, desperately trying to avoid anything that looked like a bright light or tunnel.

"Marie." A voice came into my head.

"God?" I froze. Oh shit.

"Ah'm not gonna die. No way! No how!" I screamed, desperately trying to swim through the air towards my real body.

The voice chuckled back at me. "You're not dead Marie."

In my panic, I hadn't realized that the voice was actually the Professor's.

"Huh?"

"Don't be afraid," he said calmly.

"I'm floating 6 feet above my own fucking BODY! I think I have the right to be afraid," I screamed back at him.

"Now Marie, calm down," the Professor said soothingly, a slight hint of command in his voice. "You are experiencing what we telepaths term an Out Of Body experience."

"Screw that!" I yelled. "Ah want mah body back!"

"Marie, It's either an O.O.B or Magneto's electrical current and I think we both know which is better for you!" 

I looked down at my body, shuddering at the thought of the pain I had felt only moments before.

"Now Marie, I need you to do me a favor. We've got a rough estimation of your location as Magnetos magnetic field is confusing."

"So you want me ta find out where Ah am right?"

"If possible, yes."

I glanced over at Magneto. He had stepped away from the podium, staring a small security screen behind it. He looked up at my body, his smirk dropping from his face. With a flick of the switch, Magneto turned off the machine. My body ceased to twitch, my head dropped down lower to stare blankly at the opposite wall.

"Fine." I sighed. "But how do Ah move?"

"Using your mind, imagine yourself moving forward. And you will?" 

Concentrating, I slowly found myself moving towards the wall. I held out my hands to stop myself but found that I floated straight through it. I came giggling through to the other side.

"Oh mah God! That was so much fun! Ah have got to practice with Kitty more often!"

I heard the Professor give a mental cough, so I turned to the task at hand. 

I looked around, unable to see anything except black. Finding the wall, I became to follow it. Approaching a dim light bulb, I began jogged towards it. I froze in shock as Sabretooth stepped out of a door, a low growl coming from his throat.

"Oh shit, oh shit!" I began to chant to myself, my knees feeling weak. Sabretooth took a step forward, his eyes staring at my neck. I stumbled backwards as Sabretooth continued forward. I adopted a fight stance as he came closer. 

"Oh fuck! Don't hurt me!" I yelled, losing what little composure I had. My arms flung up to protect my head and I squeezed my eyes closed.

I felt a slight feeling of intense hatred as a gust of hot wind tickled at me for a second or two. Opening my eyes, Sabretooth wasn't standing in front of me anymore. Turning around, I watched Sabretooth as he strolled down the hallway. 

Remembering to breathe again, my knees gave up from underneath me. I knelt on the floor, unable to do anything more than take in deep breathes.

"Just taking a small breather okay. Found a door out."

"Good." He replied

After about a minute of staring at the floor, I pushed myself up onto my feet. Taking in a reassuring breath, I walked towards the door, slowly allowing myself to float through. 

I covered my eyes as a bright sunrise stung at my eyes. As they adjusted to the light, I squinted as I looked out at my surroundings. I was standing at the top of a rock incline, tall trees reached up towards the sky surrounding the compound. Kneeling down, I placed my hand on the dirt, tasting the familiar feeling of metal.

"Ah found out why you can't sense me Professor. The compounds foundations are build on a cliff containing a….." I paused to concentrate on the type of metal below my feet. "…Strange type of metal ore. It's like Magneto's helmet…… just different." 

I was trying to describe it, but it was impossible to find the words for the feeling of metal. Tearing myself away from the pull of the metal below, I floated down towards the trees for a closer inspection. The smell of Pine played at my nose, the needles and a few leaves rustled below my feet. The trees appeared to be in reasonable straight rows, unusual for a natural forest but a few rogue trees of different breeds broke the order.

"Okay, the trees are pine. The Trees are in rows like a man-made forest, but its unattended, there are weeds and other small breeds of trees amongst them."

"Thank you Rogue. We now have a positive location. You seem to be in Samsome Forest, formerly a logging forest, but privately purchased two years ago." The Professor left my mind for a few seconds, returning with news of the others.

"Remy and Logan will be at your location in a few minutes, the rest of the team won't be far behind."

I nodded my head. "Great. Then Ah'll just wait out…….." 

I paused as I felt a slight dizzying feeling. 

"I think you have to return to your body. Your mind isn't used to astral projection and it may have an effect if you stay 'out' for too long.

I sighed to myself and began walking back towards the door.

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I looked over at Magneto as I walked through the steel wall. He was standing in front of my body, his eyes scrutinizing. He slapped my face gently with a gloved hand, my face remaining completely emotionless.

"Okay, Ah'm ready to go back to mah body now." I said, allowing myself to float nearer. I was beginning to feel an unusually light-headed, like I had been spinning around in circles. 

I felt a slight hesitation on the Professors part, but I knew he would comply. Closing my eyes, I felt slightly nauseated as I floated back downwards towards the chair. I felt a sudden jolt as I was pulled back into my body and breathed in deeply.

Magneto's smirk returned as he stepped cautiously around me.

"Nice trick. Learn some meditation from Xavier did you?"

I just stared at him. I knew he was desperate to find out something, his own memories betraying him. But just what he needed was his guarded secret. 

I took in a deep breath, attempting to look beaten. Hanging my head, I watched Magneto's reflection on the metal wall as his expression turned to triumph.

"What do you need to know?" I said downcast, carefully making my voice waver slightly for effect.

Magneto stood up straight in an unmistakable stance of power. He looked down his nose at me, he looked almost pitiful.

"Where is Remy staying?" he started.

"He has his own apartment somewhere in the city." I lied.

Magneto nodded slowly, absorbing the information. "Where?"

I looked up at him, faking a look of stubbornness.

Magneto adjusted a pair of medical gloves on his hands. Positioning it over my dislocated left wrist, he looked me in the eyes. "Where?"

I closed my eyes, waiting for the pain again. I felt the cool of Magneto's hands against mine and before I had the chance to enjoy it, he applied pressure and a whimper burst from my throat as I felt the bone click back into place.

"Where?!" He yelled in my ear. 

My mind froze. Where would Remy have a house? I raffled though my mind, trying to think of a good location. A light bulb switched on in my head. Remember back to our latest date, the words sprung out of my mouth.

"It overlooks the east side of Central park." I yelled out, hanging my head as though I had just given away the 'great secret'. 

Magneto opened his mouth to say something else, but a bright red button behind us began to blink, and he rushed over to the screen. 

"Drat!" he said quietly to himself. Pressing an intercom button, he spoke quietly into a small microphone and Mystique and Toad ran into the room.

Magneto only had time to point towards the door before it flung open, smoke and dust pouring into the small room, Logan stepped through the smoke haze, followed closely by an angry looking Remy.

"Remy!" I screamed out, struggling against my restraints.

Remy's eyes scanned the room and his gaze looked on mine. He raced towards me, exploding a charged card in Toads face. Logan had frozen on the spot. Shaking his head, his eyes refocused and he flicked his arms, letting rip his claws. Mystique smiled and stepped towards him. Remy quickly scanned my restraints before carefully placing a finger on the metal. 

"Watch out." He grinned as he charged them up. 

I could feel them heat up through the velvet and it was just beginning to burn at my wrists as they were flung up into the air. I quickly took to removing the bar across my chest, but I paused as I felt Magneto 'catch' them and they came flying back at Remy's face. Toad made the mistake of jumping on Remy's back, causing Remy to duck down. Toad took two pieces of metal to the throat and neck and went down for the count.

As this was happening, Logan and Mystique were in battle stances, each waiting for the other to move. Moving her hands behind her back, Mystique hands turned a milky skin tone and large metallic-looking claws grew from underneath her nails. 

Logan's eyebrows knotted together in faint recognition of the hands, his eyes concentrated on them. Shaking his head, he refocused on Mystique and lunged towards her. She artfully dodged his claws as he slashed wildly at her. I could feel the frustration build up inside him. Finally, he hit her, leaving a nice row of neat slashes across her thigh. 

Logan grinned at her as she cried out in pain and anger. Taking advantage of her distraction, he kicked her legs out from underneath her. Mystique fell flat on her back was a resounding thud and Logan stepped forward to plunge his claws into her chest. Logan froze as Mystique rammed two of her claws into Logan's upper thigh, narrowly missing his groin. Logan's eyes widened in pain, but a look of relief soon covered his face as he realized what they had missed. Mystique jumped back onto her feet, delivered a few more kicks to Logan's face. 

Remy raced towards me, Magneto blocking him with a large piece of steel piping. Remy saw the piping and in one movement, gracefully swung on it, landing his foot in the middle of Magnetos face. Remy grabbed the piece of metal across my chest and together, we managed to bend the metal so I could squeeze out from under it.

Remy held out his gloved hand to support me, which I gladly accepted. Pulling me to my feet, Remy called out to Logan.

"Let's go Wolf boy!" 

Logan grunted in reply as he delivered a knee in Mystique face. For the second time that day, Mystique fell unconscious to the floor. Logan gave me a look of concern before he made for the door.

I stepped past the threshold of the doorway, finding myself unable to move any further. I gasped in pain as I felt a painful tightening in my heart. Grabbing at my chest, I fell from Remy's grip onto the dusty floor. Curling into the fetal position, tears leaked from my eyes as my vision blurred in and out. Remy bent over me, a look of pained worry across his face. I looked back in the small room in which I saw Magneto kneeling down on one knee, his hand outstretched towards me.

"Remy LeBeau, if you would kindly step back inside the room please?" Magneto said sarcastically. Remy looked hesitantly down at me.

"….I….I… iron," I managed to choke, pointing to the discarded dart that lay on the floor. Remy gave it a quick glance, quickly bending over to pick me up.

"If you don't move now, I'll close up her artery completely."

My body gave an involuntary shudder at the thought. Remy instead took my hand and gave it a kiss, the contact with his lip quick enough not to invoke my power.

"Take her. I'll be out soon," he said quietly to Logan. 

I sighed in relief as some of the pressure in my chest subsided and I rolled out onto my back, looking up at Logan. Logan had a look of pure hatred across his face as he acknowledged Remy's order. I could tell that Logan's fear of Magneto's power was the only thing holding him back. 

Bending over to pick me up, Logan suddenly paused. A look of shock was the only warning he had time to do before he was thrown into the wall. As he smashed head-first into the metal, I heard a loud crack and he slumped to the floor.

Remy picked me up, trying to use Logan as a distraction to get me out of there. We only managed to get a few feet before Sabretooth came out of no-where, blocking off our only exit.

"You're not going anywhere my dear," Magneto smiled. "Not until Remy gives me what I want."

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Can you see the little purple button down there! I told the Professor to send out little telepathic messages telling you to review. If you didn't receive this message, press the button anyway.


	12. Blood

Disclaimer: X-men are not mine, although my birthday's coming up soon……..

A/N: Hi everyone! I've just finished rewriting the first chapter of Figure in Black to get rid of all the mistakes. It's about 500 words longer, but there's no real difference in the storyline, just a little more action, more description of the lovely Remy and a little less rushed.

Also, sad to say, this story will only continue for a few more chapters, but don't worry, I have a sequel plotted out (if you guys are willing to read it, *hint, hint*)

So now I present to you, CHAPTER 12 OF FIGURE IN BLACK!!!!!!

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Remy gently lowered me down until I stood on my own two feet, his eyes still locked on Magneto. I slumped to the ground, too tired to remain standing. Sabretooth stood over me with his arms crossed, his cold shadow a reminder of his presence.

Remy stepped towards Magneto. "What do you want?"

Magneto swept his hand in front of him and a small table floated out to rest in front of Remy. It was made mostly from metal with clear pipes running down the side, a glass outline of a hand in the top. Remy looked at it questioningly, a slight perplexed look on his face. 

"Place your hand on the mark. The machine will do the rest." Magneto said coldly, slowly moving to stand next to his podium. Fiddling with a variety of buttons and switches, he nodded slowly, indicating for Remy to proceed.

"Oh, the things I'll do for a pretty girl?" he grinned nervously, winking reassuringly at me.

Remy took in a deep breath, and placed his hand on the mark. A crimson liquid began to fill the pipes, slowly rising up towards the outline and Remy's hand. The pipes began fill, the red liquid rising rapidly.

Magneto walked across the room and stood beside me. I felt his hand rest on my shoulder as I looked up at Remy's face. His jaw clenched tightly, the veins on his neck protruding. He began to make soft choking noises and his skin had grey/green hue. I realized with a sickening feeling that I had seen this before.

"I have envied your power for a long time Rogue." He said quietly. "And now, with a sample of your blood, I have it."

Staring down at the cut along my hand, I noticed a small clot of blood from a pinprick on my wrist. Magneto moved back to his position behind the podium, placing his hand on a similar hand outline as Remy's machine. A bright light began to shine and Magneto tilted his head back, a look of pure ecstasy on his face. His other hand was outstretched, sparks flying between his fingers. He was absorbing Remy's power.

Remy eyes had rolled back in his head, tears of blood dibbling down his cheeks as the veins in his eyes burst from the pressure. Rage built up inside me, the sound of my heart beating like a drum. Before I knew it, I was scrambled across the ground towards Remy. 

Pushing the back of his knees, I knocked him to the ground. He collapsed on to the floor, his hand sliding down the metal. I sighed in relief as his normal coloring quickly returned to his face and his breathing became deeper. Remy shook his head as he sat up, feebly attempting to clear his head. 

Sabretooth grabbed me, gripping the back of my neck in his giant furry paws. Magneto moved to grab Remy, but hit the ground instead as Remy tripped him up. Standing up, he stepped away from Magneto, still breathing in deeply. 

"Shit Marie, even your blood gives a hell of a punch." He said, rubbing his chin.

Magneto stood back up, looking very pissed off. 'Grabbing' a piece of metal, it flung itself at Remy, narrowly missing his ear as he ducked it. As Magneto looked around for more ammo, Remy grabbed at Mystiques unconscious figure, holding her head in his two hands. Magneto froze, unsure of what to do.

"You will let us leave, or Blue's head goes kaboom, alright?"

Standing up, Magneto's face remained stubborn as he appeared to weigh up his options. Sabretooth's grip of my shoulder grew tighter until his claws bit into my skin.

"Sabretooth……" Magneto abruptly halted his order as a soft 'snkit' sound was heard. 

Sabretooth let out a loud roar before crashing to the ground beside me. Pulling his hand off my shoulder, I turned around to see Logan pulling his claws out of three different places in the mutant's spine.

Wiping his claws on his jeans, Logan retracted them as Sabretooth lay paralyzed, whimpering like a hurt puppy. Magneto looked helpless as he continued to divert his gaze between Logan and Remy. Sighing in resignation, Magneto lowered his head in defeat.

"Go." He muttered, dismissing us as he turned away.

Not willing to take any chances that Magneto might change his mind, Remy dragged Mystique's unconscious body over to the door. Logan picked me up, gently placing me on my feet. I stepped over Sabretooth, I could help but grimace as I saw the three holes in his spine. Logan noticed.

"Don't worry darling, he'll live." He said, gently pushing me towards the door.

I started down the corridor while Logan tried to help Remy with Mystique. Remy slapped his hand away as Logan tried to take Mystique from him.

"Are you guys comin' or do Ah need to get a babysitter?" I yelled out. 

They spun around to look at me, a guilty look across both of their faces. Logan gave Remy a slight push and proceeded towards the door. I lead them to the door I had found early. Remy slung Mystique over his shoulder, his hand still wearily on her face.

I leaned against the door, the metal cool against my skin. Logan approached, indicated for me to move aside. I did and Logan delivered a quick kick just below the doorknob, shattering the lock inside. The door swung open and he stepped outside, sniffing at the air curiously.

"All clear." He growled, walking out onto the path.

I stepped out into the bright sunlight, feeling it warm my skin. Remy hadn't followed me out and I poked my head but inside.

"Come on Remy, we gotta go!" I yelled, hearing the familiar buzz of the blackbird approaching.

Mystique was propped up beside a metal box and Remy was crouching inside, fiddling around with a group of wires. Picking out a red and a black wire, he wrapped his hand around them. A few sparks flew from his hands and when he released them, they had melded together. 

A loud siren began to blast in my ears and a grin ran across Remy's face from ear to ear. Stepping over Mystique, he linked his arm in mine and together, we walked outside.

My hair whipped around my face as the powerful engines of the Blackbird came to a rest on the road, right behind the black jeep. Remy wrapped an arm reassuringly around my waist and we walked quickly down the dirt path towards the jet. Logan was leaning against the stairs, his eyes still watching the compound. As we approached, Scott poked his head out of the Blackbird, motioning for us to hurry up.

I grabbed the handrail of the stairs to pull myself into the jet, I felt Remy's arm wrap around my legs. Leaning back, Remy took me in his arms and carried me up the stairs.

"You know, Ah can walk up a few steps without your help Remy." I said with an exaggerated sigh.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Scott open his mouth to agree, but after a quick elbow to the stomach from Jean, he shut it again. Remy carried me to the back of the ship, sitting me down on one of the soft leather seats towards the back of Jet.

Remy walked to help Scott secure the door as Jean came walking over, pulling on disposable gloves and red medical kit in hand. Kneeling in front of me, she pulled a cotton bud out of her kit and gently took my hand in hers. She dabbed gently at the cut, cleaning away the clotted blood that stained my hand. Remembering the blood in the machine, I pulled away. Jean looked up at my face. Shrugging in indifference, she moved on, packing her kit into one of the drawers belong her uniform.

Suddenly, the whole jet jerked sideways and I was thrown to the floor. Jean was thrown against Scott, the two of them stumbling into the locked door. Ororo was strapped into her chair while Remy was using it to keep his balance. Racing to the window, Scott went bright red with anger.

"No! NOT THE JEEP!!" he screamed at the window. 

Racing over, I stared out the thick glass. Outside, Logan jumped out of the jeep as it came flying back towards the Jet. Looking up towards the compound, Magneto stood outside the door, his arms outstretched and of pure concentration on his face. The jeep slammed into the Jet again, sending another shudder through the metal frame. I was distracted as the jets engines screamed as they reached full power.

"Let Logan in so we can go!" Ororo yelled from her seat. 

Scott torn his eyes away from his 'flying' jeep and ran over to the door. Prying it open, he almost fell onto Logan as the jeep hit again.

"Getoff me!" Logan grunted, pushing Scott back inside the jet. Scott stumbled backwards onto the floor as Logan stepped over him. 

"Get into your seats now!" Ororo screamed from her seat as the jeep crashed again into the side of the Jet. Everyone scrambled to their seats and a mass of clicks and straps being tightened were heard as everyone prepared to liftoff. As bad of a pilot as Scott was, Ororo was worse. With a slight bump, we lifted off from the ground. Ororo eased the wheel forward and we headed off towards the clouds.

Once Scott took over at Pilot, everyone unbuckled themselves. Grabbing a spare pair of leather gloves out of Uniform drawers, I went and stood beside Scott as he maneuvered through the clouds back towards the mansion. He was mumbling angrily under his breathe, words I never thought he knew.

"Fucking Asshole……… Destroy my Jeep….."

"Scott?" I interrupted his mumbling as I stared at the clouds outside. "Why didn't he just grab the Jet?

"Couldn't" Scott said simply. "The Blackbird isn't magnetic and it's too heavy to create a magnetic field around. But I guess my Jeep was light enough…"

Leaving Scott to his mumbling, I looked around for Remy. 

He had moved down to the back of the Jet, followed by Jean and her little red medical kit. I stood watching as she checked him over, checking his vital signs and reflexes. With a nod of approval, Jean stood up and walked back towards her seat. 

"Don't worry, he's fine." She said as she passed me, giving me a reassuring pat on the back. Wrapping my arms around myself, I slowly went and sat down next to him. Remy smiled. 

"Are yah alright?" I asked, avoiding his eyes.

Using his index finger, Remy raised my head until I was looking in his eyes. "I'm fine, mon chere. You have no need to worry."

I smiled in relief. I finally allowed myself to relax and I let out a huge yawn.

"Tired?"

I nodded, covering my wide open mouth. He gestured for me to lie down. I did, with my head resting on his lap. 

"Are you sure you're alright?" I said, my eyelids growing heavier by the second.

"Hush, get some sleep." Remy said softy as he stroke my hair. 

And seconds later, I was.


	13. Relaxing

A/N: Okay guys, here's another chapter of FIB. Sorry it took so long (please don't flame), I have a long list of excuses but you don't want to hear them. Next chapter will (hopefully) be ready in about a week. ENJOY!

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"Look at this picture!" Jubilee said as she passed me the magazine and grabbed another spoonful of ice-cream. "Like, her boobs defy gravity and she says they're real!"    

"True….." I said, faking interest as I looked at the brightly colored picture of the model. 

I wasn't really in the mood for talking. We had been sitting around in our room for hours now, sitting around staring at magazines and eating junk food as I hid out from the rest of the world. We had been hiding out ever since we had arrived back at the mansion…

_I had woken up just as we landed underneath the basketball courts as the shudder of Scott's landing resounded through the blackbird. My head was resting on the seat instead of Remy, but the warmth of the leather beside me told me that he had only just left._

_"Sorry." Scott mumbled as everyone got to their feet and began gathering their things.  _

_Stretching out my legs, I stood up as Remy slid out of the door, a wave of the hand, his goodbye. I made for the door to see if I could speak to him before he disappeared upstairs but Jean blocked off my exit._

_"You know, I still haven't seen that you're alright….."_

_I smiled politely and waved my hands. "Oh look, all better. Now can I…" _

_She blocked me off again as I tried to get passed. "Sit." She said sharply as she took my shoulder and led me to the nearest seat._

_When I finally escaped Jeans medical inspections, I looked around as I climbed down the steps looking around for Remy. Unable to find him, I walked over to the elevator, spotting Remy inside as the doors closed. Frustrated, I stormed over to the door and began to pace back and forwards, knocking the elevator button with my elbow as I waited for the door to open. Finally, they did and I jumped inside, knocking the up and close door buttons at the same time. _

_As I stood impatiently waiting for the elevator to hit the top floor, I realized just how much elevator music annoys me. _

_Finally the upwards motion of the elevator stopped and the doors slid open. Instead of the empty corridor that I had expected, I came face to face with several students, all with curious grins across their faces._

_Noise exploded around me as I stepped out of the elevator, into a chorus of "What happened Rogue?" and "Did you get to go with them?" The doors of the elevator closed behind me and I felt trapped as the enthusiastic students drew closer._

_Standing up on my toes, I attempting to see over the crowd, but only saw more students on their way over._

_'Oh shit' I thought to myself as I lowered myself down._

_Just as I thought I was doomed, a loud voice cut through the noise. _

_"Okay everyone! Move it or everyone will learn what firework burns up the ass feels like." I sighed with relief as the crowd parted and began to disperse as Jubilee came hobbling up to me, her left hand glowing pink while the other clutched a painted yellow crutch._

_"You alright chica?"__ She asked, shaking the pink glow from her hands. "Thought you might need some help getting away from this lot." She pointed to the remaining students._

_I rolled my eyes. "Yah just wanted ta be the first ta know what happened, didn't yah?"_

_"That too" she grinned as linked her arm with mine and started down the hall._

****

Throwing yet another magazine into the 'already read it' pile, I paused as I heard a knock at the door. Before I could sit up properly, Jubilee jumped up and opened the door.

Remy stood in the doorway, a nervous smile across his face.

"Can I come in?" 

"Yeah, come right in." Jubilee said, basically pulling Remy into the room. 

Remy looked around my room until his eyes finally rested on me. 

"Girl's night in?" He asked, his charming smile creeping across his face.

"Yeah," I replied, staring at the discard pile of magazines and ice-cream containers. "Something like that."

Jubilee finally broke out of the daze. "Oh darn!" She said, slapping her forehead dramatically. "I promised Kitty I'd help her, umm, change her printer cartridge today."

She snatched her crutch and a container of ice-cream from the floor and hobbled out. "Laters."

I stood up next to my bed and closed the door as Remy drew closer. "Jubilee really needs to learn how to lie convincingly." He said, snaking his arms around my waist.

"Oh, no, she wasn't lying. Kitty may be a computer wiz, but she couldn't change her cartridge if her life depended on it." I said with a grin.

Remy chuckled as he lent in, his forehead resting against my white streaks. He looked in to my eyes and sighed softly.

"Oh what am I going to do with you?"

"Forgive me?" I asked.

Remy backed away slightly. "Forgive you? Hell, I tink we're past dat Marie." He grinned. "Look, I talked to Logan and he told me what happened. I'm da one who should be apologizing. I just assumed….." his voice faded off.

A smile spread across my face and I flung my arms around his neck. "Let's just make this one a mistake made by both parties, 'k?" I said into his ear softly.

"K" 

"Great." I said as Remy slowly started rocked for side to side. "Ummm, What are you doing?"

"Deciding whether you'll slap me if I try to kiss you." He chuckled, leaning his head in towards mine.

"Woe there!" I said, immediately backing away. "Have you learned nothing in the last few hours?"

"Yeah, but it just makes me want to try the real thing…" He leaned in and kissed me, his lips tenderly brushing against mine. The pull didn't really start as first as he gently ran his hand through my hair until a few seconds and then the familiar rush of emotions and pictures ran into my head. Backing away, I knocked into my bed and fell backwards onto the mattress.

Remy flopped down beside me. "See, it wasn't dat bad was it?"

"You do realise that even though my reaction time has slowed, I can still kill if you hang on too long."

"I no, Logan told me all about what happened in his room when you first arrived here."

"Oh." I said quietly, remembering the night, curious about his reaction.

"Do you have a scar, 'cause I haven't seen it yet……" he said breaking the silence, pulling up the bottom of my t-shirt for a look. Slapping away his hand, I lay back on the bed with my hands behind my head, staring up at the ceiling. Remy cuddled up beside me, his hand resting gently on my stomach. I gave a deep sigh.

"Remy, do yah ever think of…. You know, going home?"

"Pardon? This is your home, no?"

"Yeah," I sighed "but Ah mean mah old home, back in Mississippi."

Remy looked blankly at the floor, a confused frown across his forehead. "But I was given de impression dat mon chere was made to leave home."

"Well, yeah, but not exactly." I stared up at the ceiling, pictures and memories running through my head. "When David went into the coma that day, everything changed. No matter how much Ah covered myself, no one would come near me. Ah ended up being expelled from school because Ah was considered dangerous. Mah Dad was so afraid Ah'd hurt someone that would lock me inside the house while he and mah mom were at work." 

I brought my hands down and placed them on my stomach, unconsciously fidgeting with the gloves. 

"One day he left the back door unlocked, so I grabbed all the gear I fit in a bag, stole some money from his safety box under his bed and left…. Looking back, they didn't hate me, they were just scared." 

Remy gave me an understanding look and took one of my hands in his.

"Den why don't you go back, just to visit?"

His words seemed to echo in the room. 

"Ah guess Ah never thought that Ah could. After the whole thing with Magneto, Xavier had given me a place ta live, I was waiting for someone Ah thought ah was in love with……" I paused, leaving the comment unfinished. 

"Ah guess Ah could go back someday." I shrugged my shoulders. "If Ah ever learn ta control mah skin"

"Not if Marie, when." Remy said softly, wrapping his arms around me. I leant into his body, my head resting on his chest. "The Professor will find you a way. It's just a matter of time."

.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~


	14. Surpressing

A/N:  I finally updated on time (well I was a day off) but still, YAY!

"Come in Marie." The Professors voice echoed from inside his office. I stood up from the couch I had been sitting on and walked inside.

The Professor sat in his usual spot behind the desk, his fingers linked as his hands rested on top of the desk.

"Good Morning Rogue." He smiled politely, motioning for me to sit in one of the large spacious seat in front of him. Smiling nervously, I sat down. "Now, I understand Jean did not explain why I asked you to come today?"

I nodded, watching as Professors eyebrows knitted together.

"Now, I don't know how to say this Rogue, because I don't want to install a sense of false hope…."

Wait. Is he saying what I think he's saying?

"I think I may have found a way that we could try to suppress your skin."

I froze in my seat, trying hard not to raise my hopes. I had tried before and had been made to give up after too many disappointments. "How?"

"I was thinking about what you did at the base, with the mental kinesis that you achieved when kidnapped by Magneto. I was thinking that if you were able to use mental kinesis to separate your skin mentally from your mind, we might be able to control you skin. But it's not guaranteed…"

Staring out the window, I saw Bobby and Jubilee walking together (well Jubilee was hobbling), their hands entwined. My thoughts immediately went to Remy and him wanting to kiss me.

"Let's try it."

.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

"Now concentrate on your breathing."

I closed my eyes and reached into the glass bowl. Inside, a rat sat waiting, a small space on its back shaven, exposing its pale pink skin.

Breathing in, I touched the rat's skin, concentrating on the sound of my breath and envisioning a sheer barrier covering my skin. I reached down and ran my finger over the smooth fur of the rat before wrapping my hand around it and picked it up.

I lifted the rat out of the container and stood waiting for a reaction. Suddenly, an ache ran through my head, followed by an immediate feeling of hunger and fear.

"It's not working!" I screamed dropping the corpse of the rat in disgust.

"Now Rogue, calm down." The Professor said as he once again narrowed his eyes in thought. "It doesn't make sense," he mumbled quietly to himself. "If you were able to achieve a complete mental kinesis…" his voice drifted off.

Ignoring his mumbling, I sat down in one of the chairs, a lump in my throat and the cold feeling of disappointment in my stomach. Grabbing my gloves from the nearby table, I put them on and headed for the door.

"Thanks anyway Professor," I said, reaching for the door handle. As I began to turn it, the Professor voice rang out.

"Wait a moment, Rogue."

I spun around, ready to rebel against any wish for more testing, but his eyebrows were knitted together and his two index fingers rested on his temples. He was talking to someone mentally, so I waited until he had finished.

I watched him as he finished and a small smile came across his face. Behind me, the door began to open and Remy's face appeared.

"Oh, is Remy interrupting some ting?" he asked, moving back outside the door.

"No, no Remy, come on in." The Professor waved him inside. "I just need to test a theory."

I shot the Professor a look. 

*What the hell is he doing here? * I demanded as I pulled the gloves back off my hands.

"I believe that Marie is able to perform mental kinesis, but only when her emotions are at a peak." Professor X turned to me. "Remy has some slight empathic ability that we can use to amplify your emotions to a point where your emotional state would be similar to that of what you felt while with Magneto."

I looked at Remy to confirm what The Professor had been saying. Remy didn't even look at me as he nodded solemnly to the Professor. He simply sat down on one of the giant sofas and bowed his head, his eyes closed tightly.

I was about to question both the Professor and Remy when a flood of emotions came over me, so strong I stumbled over to a chair to sit down.

"What are you doing Remy?" I asked.

Remy came and stood beside me. "Don't worry; it's just a bit of emotions. They can't hurt you." 

Remy gently put his hand on my shoulder and I turned back to the Professors as he began to speak. "Remy, concentrate on just one emotion. Rogue, when you feel this, concentrate and remember what we tried before."

I closed my eyes and began to concentrate, just waiting for the emotions. My nerves were getting worse and I began to shake all over. I began to hyperventilate and had the uncontrollable urge to throw up. My eyesight blurred in and out.

"Oh shit, wrong emotion." I heard Remy's voice say and my nerves disappeared. Opening my eyes, I stared at Remy, who had a frightened expression across his face.

"Shit," I said breathlessly.

"Are you alright Marie?" he whispered.

I took a deep breath and smiled softly. "Just a bit of nerves right?"

Remy stood back up, a reassuring smile on his face. I looked over at the Professor, who had sat silently watching.

"Try again?" I asked.

The Professor nodded and I closed my eyes. Once again, the flood of emotions came but they soon narrowed down to one. I felt a feeling of happiness that spread through my body, making me feel warm and safe. After a few seconds, the Professor's voice came through.

*Now concentrate Rogue. *

As he spoke the words, I ignored the feelings of nausea and began to dive into my mind, willing my skin to remove itself. After feeling the floating sensation, I opened my eyes and to my relief, I was still in my body. Reaching for another rat, my eyes locked with Remy's. I paused and took his offered hand instead.

I stared at his hand in mine for ages, waiting for my skin to take affect. But it didn't. I exhaled loudly; unaware I had been holding it. I looked up at Remy and a smile that mirrored his spread across my face. 

My chin began to tremble and I knew that tears were coming. As the first one trailed down my cheek, Remy wiped it away with his free hand. Jumping up, I hugged him, kissing his cheek over and over. Remembering the Professor, I raced around behind his desk and embraced him. The Professor seemed to sputter in surprise as I kissed him on both cheeks.

"Thank you." I managed to stutter.

The Professor smiled fondly at me. "We still have much to do before you have control, but this is definitely a start."


	15. Shopping Time

**A.N: Please forgive me for the long wait. I'm in the middle of School exams and I can't seem to get hold of my Beta… **

**This was written in a rush and there may be minor mistakes. Again, sorry and enjoy. **

**Random Comic Quote:**

**Rogue:** "*Sigh* what am I going to do with you, Remy Lebeau?"  
**Gambit:** "I have a list but I left it in my other pants." 

The bell signaled the end of the period as I completed the last of my note on Hydrocarbon Chemistry.

"Don't forget to read the rest of chapter 5 if you haven't already." Jean called out as I stood up and filed out of class with the others. As I walked through the main foyer towards the rec room as Jubilee jumped up from behind me and linked her arm in mine.

"Oh!" She said with an excited squeal. "Guess what?"

"What?" I asked, imitating her high-pitched voice.

"As you can see, I finally got rid of those annoying casts and Bobby's taking me out to dinner tonight!" She shrieked, jumping up and down.

"Great." I replied, trying to sound interested. It was a Friday night and Remy had said something at Breakfast about going out tonight. We hadn't gone out in a few weeks as the Christmas Holidays were fast approaching and all the teachers were piling homework on me and Remy was spending more and more time in the danger room.

"And I think its going to be somewhere fancy because he told me to wear a long dress and…………" She paused, staring blankly head with an almost scary smile on her face. She turned to me slowly. "We get to go shopping." 

I rolled my eyes as she grabbed my arm to pull me down the hall. Here we go again……

We ended tearing Kitty from her studying and dragging her down with us. We had spent the afternoon shopping and the mall was starting to empty, even through it was open late. After trying on everything in the mall at least twice, Jubilee had picked a cute black strapless dress with a red dragon sewn down the side, complete with stiletto heels and a pair of black ribbons for her hair.

Deciding that I need some retail therapy of my own, I purchase a stylish dark red halter top with black pants to match, as well as a pair of black gloves, which ended at my wrist. Kitty had barely left a dent in the Professor's credit card that we had bought with us, choosing only to purchase a new pair of sneakers, to replace a pair which had been run to death in one of Logan's training sessions.

Sitting in a little café, we sipped the last of our coffees, all too tired to talk about much at length. Standing up and with shopping bags in hand, we were strolled towards the large glass doors leading to the car park. I swung open the door when I released that Jubilee hadn't followed. 

Looking back, I spotted her walking into a nearby shop. Walking back into the mall, I followed her into the shop and did a double take as I looked around. Jubilee had gone into a Manicurist. Stepping back in an attempt to retreat quietly, Kitty grabbed my arm as Jubilee turned around from her position at the counter and grabbed my arm.

"Oh and this is my friend Rogue. She'll have the French manicure with false tips." She said to the smiling women behind the counter. I pulled Jubilee closer, trying desperately not to get angry as Kitty distracted the woman by asking about the various pictures of drawings to have painted on your nails.

"What the hell Jubes. I can't control anything without Remy's emotional help and you know it."

"Don't worry." She smiled. Turning back to the woman behind to counter, she smiled sweetly. "Oh, by the way, my friend here is a recovering germ-phobic. It would probably be best if you wore gloves."

My face flushed red with embarrassment and I lifted my hand to smack Jubilee over the head. Kitty grabbed my covered wrist and before I could do anything more, a smiling attendant appeared to show me to a seat.

"You're so lucky Jubes." I whispered into her ear as I allowed myself to be lead away.

"Pity you have to hide such pretty nails under those gloves" The manicurist said sadly as I slipped my glove back on. 

"Yeah, me too." I replied, allowing a little more sadness than I had intended. 

Standing up, I walked over to grab our bags from the attendant behind the counter. I picked up our bags, paid the bill and made my way outside to the seat where Kitty and Jubilee sat waiting, waving their hands gently in a feeble effort to dry the nail polish quicker.

"Here Jubes," I said, holding out her bags. Jubilee lifted her hands, palms extended. 

"Oh no Chica. Wet nails." She smiled. "Not all of us chose quick dry nail polish."

Flipping Jubilee my middle finger, I picked the bags and we made for the car park.

.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

I was putting the finishing touches on Jubilees makeup as a knock came at the door.

"Just a minute…." I called out as I gave the liquid eyeliner a last flick before walking over to the door.

Opening it, Bobby stood nervously in the hallway. "Is, umm… Jubilee ready?" he asked, trying to see past me into the room.

Before I could reply, Jubilee nudged past me, muttering a few words of thanks before latching onto Bobby's arm with a giggle.

I looked down the hall for any sign of Remy, but the dark-eyed Cajun was no where in sight.

I felt someone tap me on the shoulder and I turned round. Bobby retracted his hand and reached into his jacket, pulling out a white rose. He handed it gently to me. "Remy told me you'll need this. He's waiting for you downstairs."

Waving goodbye to Jubilee, I retreated back into my bedroom and walked over to the mirror. Doing one last check over of my outfit, I slipped on my high heels and made for the door. I paused as I reached the door. Walking back over to my dressing table, I picked up the necklace that held Remy's ring. Undoing the clasp, I pulled the ring off the chain, took off my right hand glove and slipped the ring onto the ring finger. Pulling the glove back over my hand, I strolled out into the hallway and towards the stairs.

Remy's eye wandered over my body as I walked down the stairs. I smiled confidently as his eyebrow rose at the sight of my wrist length gloves.

"Ah thought Ah should try and get used ta baring skin." I offered quietly as he took them in his hands.

"Come on, Remy. Couldn't yah just tell me where we're going?" I asked, as Remy pulled gently on my hand and lifted me out of the Jeep. A black blindfold covered my eyes as Remy led me. I stumbled slightly, feeling long grass underneath me.

Remy's voice came from behind me "Ok, you can take off the blindfold now." 

I pulled at the knot and the piece of material fell from my face. We were in a large clearing in a meadow, a small circle of grass cut short. Around me was a ring of white rose petals, each one sparkling with dew as they lay on top of the freshly cut grass. 

A large blanket was spread out across the ground with a basket in the middle. Beside it was a small chocolate cake with the word "Congratulations!" printed on big silver letters across the middle. 

My mouth had dropped open and I fought to find the words to thank him. 

"Remy…… Ah……… Ah ….." I stuttered, turning me hand round to see him. Remy slipped his arms around my waist, his chin resting on my shoulder.

"Marie I know," he paused, sounding ashamed. "But unfor'unately de lady at de cake store would have given me weird looks if I'd asked for 'Congratulations on being able ta touch'."

I began to giggle as he led me over to the blanket, kissed my cheek and motioned for me to sit down. I just sat and stared as he pulled sandwiches out of the basket, plates and two wines glasses.

"Mon Chère?" he said, holding up a bottle of champagne. 

My jaw dropped open and I nodded dumbly. As he handed me the glass, I almost dropped it. Remy smiled nervously and placed the glass on the ground as I erupted into an almost hysterical giggles.

"Marie?" Remy looked concerned as he stared at me. Placing my hand over my mouth, I swallowed and stopped laughing. 

"Sorry Remy," I said calmly. "Ah just can't believe yah did this for me."

"Well, it's not everyday that my girlfriend learns to touch again."

"Come on Remy, we both know its not complete control."

"Yeah," He grinned, leaning in to kiss me. "But a little control is betta than none, no?"

A swirl of emotions filled my head and I initiated control of my skin. I pulled off my gloves and threw them over into the basket. Stroking his bristly cheek with my hand, I looked into his red on black eyes as he drew me delicately into his arms. His lips brushed against mine and I leant against them, kissing him deeply. He gently moved away, I tried to pull him back, hungry for more. 

"Uh uh." He said, waving his index finger from side to side. Reaching into the basket yet again, he pulled out a slender box and placed it tenderly in front of me.

"Remy….. Yah shouldn't have." I cooed, gingerly picking up the box. Untying the silver ribbon that bonded it together, I took off the lid. Wrapped in tissue paper, was an aeroplane ticket.

"It's for de Chris'mas holidays. I t'ought since you have your control now, you might want ta try seeing your parents, see if you could patch things up?"

Excuses ran through my head. Should I go home? Would they accept me? I froze, just staring at the ticket. Finally I spoke up, saying the only thing I could.

"Thank you Remy. Yah don't know what this means ta me."

"Tis no problem Chère." 

I looked back down at the tickets and a thought appeared in my head.

"Are you going to come with me?"

Remy's bare fingers ran along my arms. "Non chere. I thought this might be something you want to do by you'self and I didn't tink dat turning up wif a boyfriend would make it any easier."

"Yeah….."

"Plus," he grinned. "I've been offered a position in da X-men team and I've got to start training soon." 

"Oh Remy, That's great!" I threw my arms around him in congratulations. 

His eyes met mine and his smile turned cheeky. "Now, where were we?"

"Right…….. about….." I leant in, my lips brushing his. "Here." I said as we drew closer. I could feel his breathe against my lips as I leaned in……

Brrrrring….. brrrrring…..

I snapped out of my trance as the sound of my beeper buzzing at my hip distracted me. I turned to look down and received a kiss of the cheek from Remy. Smiling to hide my annoyance, I grabbed the beeper and threw it aside.

"Ok then." I said. And just Remy leant in again to kiss me; the annoying sound of my beeper went off again. Remy looked away and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Maybe you betta see what's so important." He said, pointing at the offending beeper.

I picked it up and glanced at the tiny screen. 911. RING JUBES. 

Groaning in frustration, I looked back at Remy and pulled out my cellphone. I dialled the number and waiting impatiently as it rang. When it finally was picked up, I heard a few sniffs at the other end. 

"Rogue?" Jubilees tearful voice asked.

"Yeah. Sugah, what's wrong?"

I tore the phone away from my ear as a mournful cry erupted from it. "He dumped me!!!" she wailed, sniffing and snorted as she cried loudly into the phone.

Looking over at Remy, he had heard the conversation. Nodding his head, he mouthed the word "Go"

"Are you sure?" I mouthed back as the wailing poured from the ear piece. He nodded and turned away to pack up the basket.

I sighed in resignation. "I'll be there in 10 minutes."

See that little blue button below. That's so you can review and tell me what you think. Use it please!


	16. Coming Home

Sorry about the wait. I have a good excuse, but you don't want to hear it. And now, for the last time, a new chapter of Figure in Black.

The Last Goodbyes 

I stared out the window at the dark grounds, the moonlight illuminating snow on the basketball courts and the snowflakes falling gently past my window. I folded the shirt in my hand and stuffed into my green duffle bag. The rest of my clothes were spread across the bed, complete with rows of gloves to match. Tomorrow, I was flying back to Mississippi, back home to a family I hadn't seen in a year, since their terror drove me out.

I had been packing all day, able to complete the task. I packed and re-packed out of nervousness, barely able to concentrate on anything else. Jean had stopped by to help, but I was so wrapped up in packing, I barely noticed. Jubilee had been busy most of the day with decorations for the Christmas dinner and is sleeping in Kitty's room tonight so I could finish packing.

Dropping the few pairs of gloves in the bag, I closed the zipper and sat down on my bed. The room looked smaller and barren on my side as I looked around. I sat in silence as a quiet knock came at the door.

Striding over, I pulled open the door to reveal Remy standing against the doorframe, two wine glasses in one hand and a bottle in the other.

"Heard mon Chére needed to chill out." He said with a smile. Plucking a glass out of his hand, I flopped onto the bed. As he poured the golden liquid into my glass, I watched with satisfaction as it swirled around. Sipping gently, I watched Remy as he slumped down onto my bed. His glance was blank and expressionless. Following his gaze, he was staring at the bags over in the corner.

Inching over, I placed my bare hand against his face and turned it to face me. Slowly we came closer, his hands leaving the wine glass and caressing my back. My breathing slowed as his lips brushed the nape of my neck and almost stopped as he planted kisses along my collarbone. One by one, the buttons of my shirt came away, and the kisses began trailing down to my bellybutton.

Running my fingers through his black hair, I gently raised his head until his eyes met with mine. I leant forward, kissing him deeply and playfully licked the end of his nose. He leaned forward for more, but I pulled away. His eyes watched my hands as went I slid them down to his jeans and undid the top button. Two black pupils met mine.

"Are you sure?"

I nodded yes as I pulled off my shirt and let it gently float to the floor.

Logan and Jubilee stood beside the garage waiting for me as I walked out of the front door. My breath hung in the cold air as I flung a scarf around my neck and I hugged my jacket tighter against my body, desperate to absorb its warmth. I had said my goodbye to the rest of the team inside, the only people to farewell were my closest friends. Logan began walking towards me, Jubilee two steps behind. Dropping my bags beside Scott, I walked over and stood face to face with Logan, for the first time in ages.

"Hey."

"Hey Kid." he replied, fondly pushing one of my streak back behind my ear. "You running?"

I couldn't help but blush slightly at the memory of those words. "Nah," I replied with a wink. "Just going away for a bit."

I smiled as I saw Remy come out of the mansion and walk over to the car with the rest of my gear. "Ah have a little favour to ask."

Logan's eyebrow rose. "Ah huh?"

"Ah need yah to keep an eye on him," I said indicating Remy, "take care of him, yah know?"

His eyes twinkled. "I'll take care of him, but do you want it to look like suicide or an accident?" he said jokingly. "Nah, I take him under my wing, teach him the ways around here."

"Just keep him in one piece k? 'Cause Ah'm gonna need him in one piece when I get back."

"Well don't be too long," he said, his voice getting quieter. "You never know what you'll miss out on."

My eyes caught his, and I knew he meant his own absence. Nodding his head silently, he turned around to walk away.

"Logan," he turned around and I hugged him. "Thanks for everything." I whispered into his ear and slowly let him go. The corners of his lips formed a small smile and disappeared under his usual mask and he walked off to the side.

Jubilee stood to the side and watched Logan walk away, a funny little smile on her face. As I drew closer to her, her gaze flickered from me to the ground and her bottom lip quivered. My eyes began to twinge and a lump grew in my throat.

It had only been a few weeks since I'd been her shoulder to dry on. I'd come home to find her hiding under a sheet, her mascara smeared down her cheeks. Here, tears looked probable, but not for the same reason.

"It's only a 2 months right?" she said, "You'll be back before I know it."

"Yeah, definitely." I broke away hesitantly, "Ah'll even see if Ah can bring back some cute Southern boy for yah k?"

"Thanks anyway Rogue, but I got my eye on someone already." She said, her gaze wandering off. Following it, I felt a twinge of surprise as it settled on Logan as he leant against the mansion wall.

My mouth formed an 'o'. The cheeky smile on Jubilees face was infectious and I pulled her back into a hug.

"Call me anytime you on my Cellphone ok?"

She nodded and broke away from my arms. Gently tugging my hips, she turned me around and gave a slight push towards the car. She retreated back to stand beside Logan as I picked up my bag and walked around to the trunk of the Jeep. Scott took my bag from me while Remy appeared beside me. His warm arms wrapped around my hips and he pulled me towards him, kissing me gently on the lips. His hands slid up to my cheeks, gently cradling my face as his lips drew away. He looked deep into my eyes as he rested my forehead against mine.

"I love you Mon Chére," he whispered. "And I'll be right here waiting for when you come back."

He gave me a quick kiss and step aside, a gentle hand on my back directing me towards the Jeep door. Dazed, I climbed in as he closed the door behind me, the window wide open. In the driver's seat, Scott sat patiently, staring out into space. Remy tapped the door and stepped away; Scott snapped out of his trance and turned on the engine. I stared at my friends as they stood side by side, watching as we drove down the driveway. As Scott paused at the end of the driveway, Remy raised his hand and gave a wave. Leaning out the window, I blew him a kiss and waved as we turned the corner and I lost sight of him.

I leant back into the seat and let out a heavy sigh, not realizing I had been holding it in. And as we drove off towards the Airport, Scott stared out the windscreen and posed the question.

"Are you gonna be alright?"

Pausing for a thought, my fingers played with the ring that hung around my neck. Remy's ring.

"Everything's gonna be fine Scott. I'll be back home soon".

Hours later

A lone figure stood outside the door, her hand wavering over the door bell. At her feet, a group of bags sat waiting as a taxi slowly drove away down the street. Her face a mask of uncertainty and nervousness, she pressed down on the button and a sweet tone was heard from within. She shuffled silently as a voice was heard within call out 'Coming!' and a person approached the door. And as the door opened, the woman inside gasped.

"Hi Mamma." Marie said, her voice barely more than a whisper.

The woman paused in disbelief for a moment before she jumped onto the visitor, wrapping her in a giant bear hug. And as she was ushered inside by her tear-stricken mother, all she could think was

"I'm Home"

And that's the end of Figure in Black. Sorry about the long wait. I would appreciate reviews.

I am thinking of writing a sequel in the next few months, to be named X2: The Figure in Black. Let me know if you're interested.

waves, takes a bow and runs off


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